For the second year, I've decided to take my usual story production schedule and throw it out the window, deciding to work on the stories that I want to work on through the bulk of the baseball season. Hopefully, this will mean more stories will get done in the next few months. I'm also going to try and get some other work I need to do done during summer vacation, I still have some resolutions to work on and I need to try and get it done.

Anyway, Summer Vacation will last through at least July but could go as late as Labor Day...it all depends on how much work I get done between now and the end of July.

Oh yeah, that's it...it's the sound of crickets chirping...because it's been a while since I've added anything new to this page.

Well, let me take a couple of moments to explain what has been happening the last few weeks.

1. The baseball season has started, which means I have less time to work on stories than I do during the off-season.

2. I haven't really had much in the way of motivation in the last couple of weeks...there are stories I want to work on, but I don't want to start on them yet. Once "Summer Vacation" begins in a couple of weeks though, this will likely change.

3. I've been feeling frustrated a lot recently (a lot of it having to do with things involving work which I won't go into detail. However, I will mention that there have been times in the past couple of weeks where I can understand how Al Bundy feels working at the shoe store*.)

Anyway, my hope is that I can break out of this in the next couple of weeks and perhaps get some more stories done for this site and the others I have accounts for.

*: OK, my life isn't NEARLY as bad as Al's...but I am starting to feel unhappy with my job and I definitely don't want to be doing this forever.

I know that the start of the true Summer movie season is still about a month away, but I figured I'd go ahead and do this a bit early. Anyway, this is the list of some of the summertime movies that are coming out in theaters this summer as well as my own opinion on them. Please note, not all movies will be included there...only ones that either pique my interest or I've seen enough to form an opinion on will be mentioned here.

2011 Recap...Movies I saw in theaters and how I felt about them
1. X-Men: First Class: eh, it was alright...it had some decent scenes and action in it, but I've seen better comic book-based films
2. Captain America: Waaay better than the version reviewed by the Nostalgia Critic, I enjoyed watching this movie when I went to see it
3. The Muppets (Yeah, I know this came out around Thanksgiving, but since it's a 2011 recap, I had to include it): This movie was thoroughly entertaining and well worth the price of admission. If only my damned bladder were more cooperative, I would've been able to see all of it while I was at the theater

Now...onto this years movies

The Avengers
Personal Opinion based on what I know: I don't know much about the Avengers as a whole, but if the movie is anything like the Iron Man movies and Captain America (2011), I definitely want to see it.
Chances that I'll go see it: Probably...unless the reviews for it are atrocious.

Dark Shadows
Personal Opinion based on what I know: I saw one preview for this and admittedly, I did kinda like a few things about it. That being said, I don't know...Tim Burton hasn't seemed as good in recent years as he did when I was a kid (I.E.: Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).
Chances that I'll go see it: Probably not worth seeing in theaters, but I may be willing to give it a try when it comes out on DVD if someone I know has it.

Battleship
Personal Opinion based on what I know: I can understand why they'd make a movie based on Battleship, but WHY? WHY WOULD YOU INCLUDE ALIENS IN THE DAMN MOVIE? One, it's been done to death...and secondly, WHEN HAS THERE EVER BEEN ALIENS IN BATTLESHIP?!!
Chances that I'll go see it: FUCK NO!

Men In Black 3
Personal Opinion based on what I know: I like the first MIB movie, I never really saw the second...nor did I really care to and I don't know much about the third right now. I won't rule out going to see it if the reviews are decent, but I'm not holding my breath.
Chances that I'll go see it: Probably not

Snow White and the Huntsman
Personal Opinion based on what I know: The only Snow White I care about, is the one from the 1930's that I watched as a little kid. I don't really give a damn if I go see this version of it. This is one case where I'd actually prefer the Disney version.
Chances that I'll go see it: No thanks

Prometheus
Personal Opinion based on what I know: Holy shit, does this movie remind me of Alien or what. I really, really hope that what I've seen in previews is what this movie will be like, because if it is, I'm certain to like what Ridley Scott has for us this time.
Chances that I'll go see it: ALMOST CERTAIN!

Brave
Personal Opinion based on what I know: I've seen a little bit of footage from it and I've heard a little bit about it, and from the way it looks it would seem that Pixar may have just had a brain hiccup last year when they gave us Cars 2. That being said, Cars 2 definitely damaged Pixar's reputation in my eyes and I will wait and see what the reviews are like before I make a decision.
Chances that I'll go see it: Depends on the reviews, what little I've seen seems good, but after last year, I'm not taking chances.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Personal Opinion based on what I know: I did not see the first G.I. Joe movie (and I still prefer the animated version a lot more anyway). From what little I saw from the first movie in previews, I wasn't impressed which is why I did not see it and given that this is a SEQUEL to a mediocre (and that's me being polite) movie, I do not have a rosy outlook for this one.
Chances that I'll go see it: No thanks

The Amazing Spider-Man
Personal Opinion based on what I know: I only saw the first Spider-Man movie on DVD the autumn after it came out in theaters and I thought that the movie was "OK"...it was actually a bit of a disappointment in my book (though admittedly my tastes were a bit different then than they are now). That being said, I don't really care if I see this movie. If it seems really good, I might consider it, but it's going to need a high RT score for me to give a damn.
Chances that I'll go see it: I doubt it...but I won't rule it out entirely

Ice Age: Continental Drift
Personal Opinion based on what I know: I saw the first Ice Age movie (which was decent) and small bits of the most recent one, but I don't really care about Ice Age after the first movie. (Quite frankly, I think it's been done to death as it is...but not nearly as bad as say "The Land Before Time")
Chances that I'll go see it: No thanks

The Dark Knight Rises
Personal Opinion based on what I know: Another Christoper Nolan Batman movie?!! YES PLEASE!!!
Chances that I'll go see it: ALMOST CERTAIN!!!

Total Recall
Personal Opinion based on what I know: I can sum it up in four simple words...No "Ahnold", No Way!
Chances that I'll go see it: See what I wrote in the opinion column

Expendables 2
Personal Opinion based on what I know: Y'know, there are times when I enjoy an action movie just for the sake of the action. However, when you decide to cram a whole shitload of action movie stars into one film, it seems a bit off-putting to me...and so did the first one for that matter. Plus, add to the fact that if it wasn't for the first Expendables movie, Scott Pilgrim would've gotten the respect it deserved.
Chances that I'll go see it: No thanks

2012 v. 2011

The Good:
> There are several movies that look like sure-fire gold amongst the ones I listed, such as The Dark Knight Rises and Prometheus.
> No movies like Marmaduke this summer =3 (for now at least)
> No movies like the fucking Smurfs or Spy Kids 4 this summer (though there are a few stupid sounding sequels that I didn't mention coming out
> Pixar may have returned to their normal selves after last year's abomination known as Cars 2

The Bad:
> Battleship...wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that there are ALIENS in the movie
> Total Recall remake...if it ain't broken, don't try to fix it. Especially if you don't have "Ahnold" around to help make it a hit.
> Adam Sandler is still making movies...Jack and Jill is bad enough, we don't need any more of your shit. What's frightening about this is that the worst may STILL be yet to come, in case you haven't already heard my bitching about them making a movie about fucking CANDY LAND with ADAM SANDLER! Be afraid...be VERY afraid!

OVERALL: This year movie-wise looks better than last year and I see several movies that I will probably see in the theater or will almost certainly see. Of the movies I mentioned, none of the movies seem totally pointless (except maybe the G.I. Joe movie)...even Battleship has a reason to exist, although the premise of the movie is absolutely stupid. Still, there are a lot of movies that I didn't mention on this list (including the Adam Sandler one and a couple of Will Ferrell movies) that have me cringing, but out of fairness, I decided against including them since there's no chance in hell I'd see them anyway

As March is coming to an end, and about a quarter of the year has gone by, it's time to check up and see how I'm doing on the resolutions I made back in January. I'll be doing this again at the end of June and the end of September.

Grades are given out on a "Pass/Fail/Incomplete" basis and are my own personal opinions of how I think I'm doing thus far in each category, along with an explanation of some of the things that have happened in each department in the last three months.

1. Attempt to catch up on past requests: Not much has changed since January, the "Rock of Gibraltar"-sized block remains in regards to the already active stories and no progress has been made on anything else that has already been reserved. However, there is a story that I likely will be starting on in the next few weeks that has been requested by someone, but then again I've said that before and nothing has been done.
Current Grade: FAIL!

2. Add at least 2 new episodes of "Independent Thoughts": A couple of weeks ago I began working on a second episode of the series and it is still in progress. So far, a third episode will not begin to be produced until episode 2 is done.
Current Grade: Incomplete

3. Add some new Sex Fantasy stories: No progress has been made on the one that was in progress and I haven't really had time to think of any others as of right now.
Current Grade: FAIL!

4. Add a little more variety to the stories I write: While additional parts of Meeting Mari and a couple other raposa-based stories have been produced in the last few months, they have been a bit more spaced apart than they were back towards the end of last year and I've also taken a few more chances with characters I've never used before (such as zorua). I have another story featuring a new character in the works and hopefully I'll be able to post it sometime this spring.
Current Grade: PASS!!!

5. Begin a brand-new raposa related series: A more detailed production list for this series has produced, however uncertainty in regards to where I'm gonna post it is keeping me from getting started on it for the time-being. Well, that and about the nine billion other things that are going on at the same time.
Current Grade: FAIL! (for now)

OVERALL ASSESSMENT: Well...it seems like I still have a long way to go. As of right now I only see one of the five resolutions that I made being accomplished at a rate where I'd give myself a passing grade. To make matters worse, baseball season is fast approaching and once it arrives, my free-time will decrease considerably. However, much like last year, I'll be taking a "summer vacation" from early-May through Labor Day, where I work on the stories I want to work on most of all...whether or not they're on the production schedule. Some of them will be and will likely be finished faster than others, so maybe when I give you guys the Halftime Report in June, more of these resolutions can be considered accomplished

Anyway...now for the other bit of news.

May 1 marks the 5th anniversary that I joined Yiffstar (now SoFurry), and as such, I'd like to do something special for that occasion. So, I'd like to hear some ideas from all of you, what can I do for my 5th anniversary on SoFurry?

It's time for another top 10 list...the first one of these I've done in a while.

Top 10 List #28: Things that I'm sick and tired of (as of 3/17/2012)
WARNING: There will be a lot of obscenities and swearing in this...especially near the end

These are the things that currently exist that either piss me off to the point where I have to say "enough" or that I feel there is waaay too much of it out there and it simply needs to stop.

10. Movies adapted from questionable source material (I.E.: Marmaduke) or adapted in a way that looks absolutely pointless for the source material (I.E.: Super Mario Bros., Battleship): Some things were not meant to be adapted into a movie and other things while they can be adapted can't be adapted in some bullshit way (see the Super Mario Bros. movie for example). I saw the previews for Battleship and my thoughts about it were this..."WHY THE FUCK ARE THERE ALIENS IN A MOVIE BASED ON BATTLESHIP?!!". Not only that, but some of the things that were shown in that preview remind me of something I once saw on Power Rangers Zeo (and I'm not kidding about that either. I'd prove it to you if I could remember which episode it was from and had a link to the Battleship trailer).

9. Supermodels and Actresses who look/act like supermodels: I guess actors who fit this description could also fit here, but I don't really care about them as much because as you all know...*click here for joke* and I have no desire for men in that way. Anyway, getting back onto topic, remember the phrase "Beauty is skin deep but ugly goes right to the bone?", Yeah, that's pretty much the way I feel about all of the supermodel-types. Sure, there may be exceptions to this rule, but I would prefer not to take a chance. I'd much rather fawn after someone who is genuinely sweet in nature...much like my real-life girlfriend for example.

8. UN-Reality TV: Yeah, I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but it's worth mentioning again. I'm not talking about shows like Lizard Lick Towing, or Hardcore Pawn, or anything else you might see on TruTV, Spike, etc. Those shows feature REAL people doing REAL things and at times ARE genuinely interesting to watch. I'm talking about shows like Survivor, Big Brother, etc. who rely on cheap gimmicks and stupid premises. If I wanted to watch something like that, I'll go out and buy Total Drama Island...at least they have the excuse of being CARTOON CHARACTERS! (By the way, I do actually like TDI...even if some of the stuff in the show does seem a bit stupid at times for my taste)

7. Capcom's Recent # Let's do a little timeline shall # Marvel v. Capcom 2 comes out, gamers rejoice over the new fighter and demand a # Capcom grants our wish releasing MvC 3...a few days later: Angry Joe reviews MvC 3 and says it's lacking in # Capcom releases ULTIMATE MvC 3, resulting in this angry (and entertaining) rant by Angry Joe...2012: Capcom releases Street Fighter x Tekken and everything about MvC 3 is seemingly forgotten...until THIS Angry Joe rant!. As you can tell, I put a lot of faith in Angry Joe, since he seems like someone who doesn't bullshit around when he reviews something. Even if its on something I don't own, I still sometimes watch out of curiousity or potential interest. When I hear about this shit that Capcom is pulling, it makes me mad as hell. I remember back when I was a kid, growing up on the original NES, with many of the games I've played being developed by Capcom. Most of them were good and they didn't BS with us. But now, the man who made Capcom what it's become (Keiji Inafune) is gone and since then Capcom has seemed to devolve into what Angry Joe has mentioned in his rants. By the way, This is how I felt when I heard that Mega Man's creator was no longer with Capcom =(

6. 3D Movies: This would be higher on the list if it wasn't for the fact that other things piss me off more and that there are less of them coming out than there were a couple years ago. However, that still doesn't mean I've forgotten about how much I dislike them. This is nothing more than a gimmick to get people to spend more of their money on a movie that in some cases has shitty 3D, in other cases is hardly worth the extra dimension, and in some cases can be watched at HOME on 2D for considerably less (I'm looking at YOU...George Lucas...Disney...James Cameron). As I said, it's not as big of a plague as it was a couple years ago, but it's still a nuisance nonetheless.

5. People doing stupid (and dangerous) things: I'm talking about people deliberately walking in front of MOVING BUSES at an intersection, crossing the street at complete random with traffic bearing down on them, thinking that bus=taxi and they're the center of the universe when it comes to catching it, listening to "gangsta rap" (or any kind of music for that matter) without headphones while on the bus so that every person on-board has to listen to it even though they're not supposed to, talking so loud on the bus that everyone in the next COUNTY can hear them...or how 'bout my old friends down in Oklahoma City. Don't think I've forgotten about that hellhole of a Greyhound station! (Sorry, I couldn't resist...that place pissed me off so damn much it's not even funny).

4. Adam Sandler Movies: Three words: Jack and Jill...Three more words: Why God? Why?...Two more words: Candy Land (and yes, I'm talking about the board game...they're actually planning on this into a movie with Adam Sandler in it). Just when I think the man is starting to become a little more tolerable with movies such as 50 First Dates or Click, he goes off and pulls this fucking shit. We did not need an Adam Sandler movie where he plays a dude and a chick (and we sure as hell don't need any incestuous fantasies involving those two). *imitates Cinema Snob* "If I want to watch a comedy where a guy dresses up as a chick, I'll stick with "Mrs. Doubtfire", thank you very much!"

3. Political Ads (especially during sporting events): This would be #2 on the list if something else hadn't recently come along to take this spot. Do you know why people watch sports on TV or listen to them on the radio...it's to watch or listen to the fucking game. It is NOT, I repeat, NOT a place for politics...it's a place to get AWAY from politics! Whenever TV stations or radio stations spam the airwaves with political ads (regardless of who they're for), I get mad. Whenever they do it when I'm trying to watch a football game...I get AVGN-GRADE MAD!!! Save that kind of bullshit for something more appropriate to the audience...like during newstime, when people might be more inclined to actually CARE about what you say (even if a lot of it ends up being either in-part or complete B.S.)

2. My Little Pony: OK, those of you who know me probably saw this one coming and before all you MLP:FiM fans out there start flaming me and shit, let me explain something about the show. I do not hate the show...I just don't give a damn about it. I'm not even referring to the show itself in this, I'm referring to the 900 bajillion images of ponies or pony-related items that have been plaguing places like FA, e621, etc. for the last several months. It gets really old really fast when you flood places with the same old shit over and over again. To put it in another perspective, let's say that I started posting nothing but raposa-based stories (Since Drawn to Life is like my MLP:FiM). Sure, I have posted quite a few of them in the past couple of years, but as much as I love the raposa species, I don't do it constantly since it gets a bit boring after a while and I have other ideas I want to get done. As far as the show itself, I've only seen maybe about 2 minutes worth if that of it one night while I was waiting for either G.I.Joe or Transformers: Gen 1...I can't remember which one I was waiting for. As such, I don't really have an opinion about the show since I know jack shit about it and I don't really care if I ever watch it.

1. Politicians (or more specifically the CONSTANT bitching between them): I REALLY...REALLY...FUCKING...HATE...THIS!!! >:( First of all, what would George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and all of the other iconic leaders in U.S. History say about this if they were all alive to see what things have become. They would more than likely be appalled over the behavior of the politicians. Secondly, who are the politicians supposed to serve?!! THE PEOPLE WHO ELECT THEM...AND BY THIS I MEAN ALL OF THEM!!! I know that it's impossible to please every single person without pissing someone else off, but they need to listen to what Mr. Spock said at the end of Star Trek II when he sacrificed his life to save all of those on-board the Enterprise. Finally, what does all of that arguing accomplish in the end...very little, if anything. Remember that "super committee" that was supposed to come up with a way to cut spending while also creating a new source of revenue? Well, in the end, all those people did was exactly the same B.S. that has been going on for far...FAR too long, which in the end caused the "super committee" to become an EPIC FAIL! As far as politics go, I try to remain neutral whenever possible since I don't like EITHER of the extremes very much (if at all), but whenever I hear of something like this or a group tries to swing things in their political favor while only a select few benefit over the bulk of the population, I get really fucking mad!

For all of those who have been interested in my Meeting Mari series, I will say now that Part 9 has been posted on SoFurry and the link to my SF page is provided HERE. I would provide more direct links to the two sections of Part 9, but I don't think the rules would allow me to post it here. So I only provided the link to my main SF page.

There's a couple things regarding reviews (in particular Movie reviews) that I need to get off my chest right now.

First off...in regards to Short Circuit (which was last week's scheduled review). I did watch the movie last week before Netflix axed it again from their streaming lineup (seriously, Netflix is starting to piss me off in regards to what movies they stream and what ones they don't). While I did watch the movie last week, I feel like I do not have enough information at this time to come up with a decent review for it. We do have Short Circuit at home and I will be watching it again so I can get a better idea of what I'd like to say in my review, but I do not know when that will be. So, for that reason the Short Circuit review will be put on hold for the time-being (I will get back to it as a "special review" at some point).

Secondly, in regards to movie reviews as a whole. The last few months have been difficult on me as far as movie reviews go. I've been so busy with about 8 million other things that it's been difficult for me to stick to the schedules that I originally post. As such, it's making me think that I may have to consider being a little more flexible in how I do reviews in the future and maybe axing the whole schedule concept altogether. Furthermore, I've also decided to take a break from movie reviews for a while (outside of special reviews), effective immediately and likely lasting until after the upcoming baseball season ends. I will still do video game reviews however, but those will not resume until April after the next one. Speaking of which...

This week's originally scheduled review of Milon's Secret Castle will take place...however, it will not happen until after the Super Bowl at the earliest.

Anyway, that's all I have to say for now.

Dammit...why the hell do I keep getting off-track with these things. Anyway, the review cycle is almost over...hopefully I can make it through next weekend and get this over with so I can get this off my back for a couple of months. I'll have some serious thinking to do in regards of how I conduct reviews after this cycle is over.

Anyway...on to the reviews

Movie Review #22: Total Recall
Released in: 1990
Produced by: Tri-Star Pictures
Type of Release: Theatrical
Rotten Tomatoes score/my equivalent: 81%/A-

Personal History

Much like a lot of other movies I "wasn't supposed to watch" when I grew up, this was another one that I watched for the first time as a kid after my parents had rented the movie from the local Video Update* (which is now as dead as the Dodo). However, unlike movies such as Aliens (which was entertaining and had a story that I could identify with even as a six-year old), Total Recall proved to be more of a challenge to understand for my 10-year old self. Don't get me wrong, the movie was entertaining, but I could never figure out at that age what exactly was going on. Was this all a dream or was this reality. In fact, it reminds me a lot of something else I'm quite familiar with, but I'm not going to say what that something is because anyone who knows me well can probably guess what that something is pretty easily.

Even today, I still have to scratch my head sometimes as my mind struggles to determine whether or not Quaid really is dreaming all of this or if he really was brainwashed and he's really going through these events...though now I tend to lean a little more towards the latter.

Basic Storyline

Because I'm still struggling a bit in determining whether this is a dream sequence or reality, I'm not going to put it in this time and Rotten Tomatoes/IMDb don't help me much either outside of what I already knew. Go with what they say about Total Recall if you wish, but it's still a bit confusing to me.

What works with this movie

+: Most of the effects are very well-done (I especially like the part where the fat lady mask comes off of Arnold's head and then reforms back into the mask. However, there is one effect that I'm not too keen about, and I'll mention that in a little bit)
+: Michael Ironside and Ronny Cox (Could you not ask for two better movie villains...the only thing that would've made it even better is if Kurtwood Smith were also involved)
+: Directed by Paul Verhoven (The director of Robocop and Starship Troopers...yes, please)
+: "Classic" Ah-nold (Complete with his delightfully over-the top acting as well as sense of humor)
+: The scene with Arnold and the Old Lady...more specifically This one right here (This ranks right up there with the old lady who calls Arnold "one mean motherfucker" in Running Man and is funny as hell...especially seeing Arnold's reaction to the old lady's response)
+: Despite the fact that the story still confuses me a bit, I do like it (Perhaps I'm not meant to know what the truth really is...maybe it's for everyone to interpret for themselves)

What didn't work in this movie

-: The effects for the JohnnyCab robot (I did not like the animatronics on this at all...conjured up images of those from Garbage Pail Kids)
-: The feeling of being confused about the true story (Yeah, I did mention that I liked the story, but it still bugs me).

Things that have me asking questions in this movie

?: So, if you don't pay JohnnyCab his fare, he turns homicidal and tries to run you down?
?: Why did the aliens built a reactor to turn Mars into an Earth-like planet in the first place. (Obviously, if there was life on the planet before, wouldn't fucking with the planet kill them off? No wonder why the martians got pissed at us and tried to take over our world in Mars Attacks, it was all because of Arnold turning their planet into a second Earth)
?: Wouldn't exposure to the environment of Mars kill people faster than what is shown in the movie?
?: Assuming that the story is really just a dream sequence...how does the Doctor from Recall get into Quaid's fantasy to begin with and how does he happen to have a "sleeping pill" that is designed to snap Quaid out of his fantasy and back to reality?

CONCLUSION: This is a very entertaining movie with a lot of action and a decent amount of humor. The story is engaging enough to make you think, but can also be a bit confusing (at least to me) at times. For a summertime blockbuster, it does it's job quite well.

Story Grade: B- (The idea is pretty good and it does keep people guessing for a while...but it still bugs me a little bit, which is why I marked it down slightly.)
Entertainment Grade: A (Classic summertime action flick entertainment, lots of action and a fair amount of humor and interesting visual effects. Also, if you're into that kind of stuff, there's also a three-breasted woman in this film for you guys to look at...though she ends up getting killed off later in the movie.)

OVERALL GRADE (Story/Entertainment average): B+
(A good movie with lots of action and entertainment to be had. Definitely worth watching and/or owning.)

Now, for part two

VG Review #43: Alladin (SNES)
Year Produced: 1993
Publisher/Developer: Capcom
Game Style: Side-scrolling platformer
Sample of Gameplay: CLICK HERE (NOTE: Please excuse the large amount of dialogue in this video...I'll be mentioning it in my review)

Plot: Follows the plot of the Disney movie of the same title...not much else can be said really.

Personal Experience: Ah yes, back in the time where games based off of movies and TV shows didn't necessarily suck automatically (or at least the ones made by Capcom anyway). I didn't really play this game at first until we had a Super Nintendo of our own in the house, with Alladin as one of the games for it. When I first played it, it was more out of curiousity...I had heard about the Genesis version of the game, but wasn't too interested in it outside of the commercial for it (Which you can find right here if you're curious). I didn't know it would be a completely different game from the Genesis version, but nonetheless I still found it surprisingly enjoyable. Up until then, the only Disney game I had played that Capcom made was Ducktales (which I liked)...since then I've gotten more familiar with other Capcom-made Disney games, but those can all be discussed in future reviews.

However, there is another reason why I'm reviewing this game and that is to undo an injustice that has been wrongfully done upon it. The cause of this injustice is none other than the assfuck known to all as the Irate Gamer (No, I am NOT going to post a link to his review on here. BUT...I will post a link to This video showing just how much of an idiot the Irate Gamer really is) >:3

As mentioned by the person who made the above Youtube clip, Alladin is a great game and the Irate Gamer completely took an unnecessary shit all over it either out of just stupidity or because he was trying to be something that he's not *cough* AVGN. So to Mr. Bores, I have just one thing to say to you and that would be this.

(Wow, I'm making a lot of Youtube references today, aren't I)

What works with the game

+: The gameplay (For the most part it's like other good side-scrollers, straightforward with challenges scattered throughout. The controls handle well and you're given items to help you on your way)
+: The game is very faithful to the movie (almost all of the scenes in the gameplay are present in the actual movie and done really well)
+: Seeing Abu's reactions as he tags along with you (It's funny to see him react the way he does)
+: The musical score is well rendered (most of it having themes from the movie)
+: The password system is pretty easy to figure out and use

What doesn't work about the game

-: Getting (some) of the aren't really worth the hassle. (Many are reachable, but they can also lead to taking damage or suicide. Plus, the only real benefit from collecting the red gems is an alternate ending...which in my opinion isn't as good as the normal ending)
-: The text cut scenes (OH MY GOD, they drag on FOREVER...it's even worse than in the Drawn to Life games**. At least in those you have things that are actually happening and not just still images (for the most part). Fortunately though, you can skip these scenes if you want to...and if you've seen the movie, I'd highly recommend doing so since these cut scenes drag on for far longer than they need to.)

Things that have me asking questions about this game

?: Where does the pyramid level come from anyway? (I don't really recall a scene like this in the movie)

CONCLUSION: Like many Capcom-made Disney games, this one is quite good and arguably the best of the bunch. If you can get your hands on it, I'd highly recommend playing it.

Graphics: 9 (Captures the scenes from the movie well and the sprites are well-rendered)
Music (sound effects): 8 (Also well-rendered with many tunes from the movie)
Story: 7 (Follows the plot of the movie to a "T", but the cut scenes drag on way too long)
Gameplay: 8 (Side-scrolling platformer veterans should have no problem playing this...novices though may have a few issues until they find their legs.)
Replay Factor/Intangibles: 7 (The alternate ending is worse than the normal ending in my opinion...but the game is fun overall and has some humorous moments in it.)

FINAL GRADE: 7.9/B+ (Just shy of earning an "A"...a solid game worth playing and cherishing, despite what some "Irate" asshole says)

I'm gonna try and get the Short Circuit review up this weekend as scheduled and then do Milon's Secret Castle next weekend so I can get this cycle over with.

*: The local video store...I don't know if it existed in other parts of the US or not
**: Yes, I am aware that Alladin was made about 15 years before either Drawn to Life DS game and I know that the technology wasn't as advanced then as it is now. Still, if you saw how long the text ran in the sample video, you'll see how tedious it is to read through it, especially if you've already watched the movie.

Even though the day is almost over, it's still January 10th so it's still technically my birthday =3

Also, as long as I'm at it, I figured it's time I posted a revised review schedule for the remainder of this review cycle.

This weekend: Total Recall
1/22: Alladin (SNES)
1/29: Short Circuit
2/5: Milon's Shitty Asshole...er...I mean Milon's Secret Castle*

*: Super Bowl Weekend, date is subject to change

Following the remaining reviews, I'll likely take the rest of the off-season off from doing reviews aside from maybe a couple of specials here and there and I'll probably open up the suggestion box again sometime in April.

I know I'm a few days late on this since my FA anniversary was technically on Wednesday, but I've been busy for the last several days and never got around to doing this until now. Anyway, I've been on FA for four years now, which means that next year will be a rather significant anniversary for me. Not only will it be the 5th FA anniversary, it'll also be my 10th anniversary of when I started writing publicly. But that's next year and I'll get to that when it comes.

Anyway, as I am writing this journal, I'm sitting in a hotel room over by the Mall of America, taking some time out to unwind a bit, especially considering the fact that my Birthday is in 2 days. As such, there will be no review this week and I will be posting an updated movie review schedule when I post my next journal (which will be on Tuesday). However, I do have something else to share with you right now...

I've been doing a little bit of thinking the last few weeks and while normally I'm not one who does shit like this, I think I want to have a few resolutions I want to try keeping this year.

1. Attempt to catch up on past requests. I have one story that I started on a while ago that has never been done and more in waiting. One story in particular is giving me headaches as part of me wants to work on it, but the other part of me is saying that I'm not motivated enough to do it. I've been struggling with this for months and I really want to end that struggle and get going on it since it's been sitting in my production schedule for a very long time.

2. Add at least 2 new episodes of "Independent Thoughts". Since the "Raposa Species" episode, I have not gotten any other episodes published. I have worked on one episode, but it's incomplete. This year, I'd like to get going on this a little more.

3. Add some new Sex Fantasy stories...the first two came to me rather easily, since then though I haven't had as much success. I do have one in progress, but with the amount of stories in progress I have and time limitations, I haven't had time to get very far with it.

4. Add a little more variety to the stories I write. I've noticed that most of the stories I've published here in the last few months have had the following two words in common..."Meeting Mari". As much as I love her (and the raposa species in general), I feel as if I should try and take a break from this for a bit and work on some non-raposa related stuff. This is exceptionally hard for me since the raposa stories seem to be the ones I feel the most motivated about right now and as such, I'm finishing them the quickest. NOTE: Part 8 of Meeting Mari is almost done and I think after Part 8 is published, that'll probably be the last one I'll do for FA of Meeting Mari for a while (Part 9 will be published on SoFurry since it'll involve Heather and I intend on working on that as soon as Part 8 is done, after Part 9 is complete, I'll probably take some time away from this series).

5. Begin a brand-new raposa related series. I've had this sitting on my Hard Drive for over a year now and I want to do it, but I've been busy with other shit that I haven't gotten started on it yet. The series is called "Raposa High" and it has several characters from Drawn to Life in a high school environment with Mari and Jowee playing the lead characters. I do not want to give away too much because this is still in development, but this series will not have as much "X-rated" material as other raposa stories I do. (NOTE: "X-rated" acts of the story will exist and be posted on Inkbunny unless otherwise stated)

Anyway, those are my resolutions for 2012...hopefully I can keep most or all of them. At the end of the year, I'll let you guys grade me on how well I did as well as give my own grades to see how I think I did and compare notes. Although, given my history, it's possible I may need a little reminder now and then to get my attention, so please leave me a comment every now and then on my page (as long as you're polite and don't spam my page that is).

I'll talk to you again on Tuesday...

As the final hours of 2011 tick away and 2012 is right around the corner, it's time for me to get to the double review that I had promised back when the first review schedule came out. Which includes possibly one of the most controversial reviews I've done since I started doing this. You've heard me mention it several times before, referencing a certain part of that movie that a certain Nostalgia Critic has made fun of, and now it's time for me to take on Howard the Duck.

Movie Review #21: Howard The Duck
Released in: 1986
Produced by: Universal
Type of Release: Theatrical
Rotten Tomatoes score/my equivalent: 16%/F

Personal History

I want to begin by saying something right away...I actually like this movie, I've liked it ever since I first watched it when I was 7 and I still find it enjoyable today. This was one of the first movies that I purchased when I first got my own VHS deck and I do not regret buying it back then...nor do I regret buying the DVD copy of it. That all said, do I think Howard the Duck is a "good movie", hell no, it has it's fair share of problems to it (some of which already described by the Nostalgia Critic). However, I honestly think that this movie isn't quite as bad as some people would make it out to be. I'm going to do my best to explain why this is in my review as well as give my own honest opinion about it.

Basic Storyline

Based on the comic of the same name (in particular a three-part series in said comic, which I have read), Howard is pulled from his home world and is slam dunked in Cleveland, OH. There he befriends a rockstar named Beverly while also trying to get back home. Along the way, Howard wears many different "hats", so to speak, trying to fit into a world he never made. In the end, he ends up saving the Earth while also destroying the only thing that will send him back to his own world.

What works with this movie

+: I actually like Howard's sense of humor (especially early on in the movie where Phil is analyzing him)...I love all of the sarcastic and snappy remarks he has to give to him. Not only that, but the movie also does a decent job in portraying Howard as somewhat of a bad ass.
+: Some of the reactions for some of the people seeing Howard for the first time do seem genuine (Of course they're gonna think "what the hell is that" when you see what appears to be a 3' tall walking, talking duck...whaddya expect?)
+: I can see some elements of this story that actually could work (The way I think of it, imagine if you were suddenly slam dunked on some other world far from home where you're the oddball in society. Maybe not a world filled with ducks per se, but I think you get what I mean by this)
+: This movie was intended to be cheesy and ridiculous (a lot of the scenes and humor in the film make it seem this way)
+: It was never truly intended for kids to see (The comic is hard evidence of this. However, that doesn't excuse the movie from a couple of things that I'm gonna get to in my "What didn't work in this movie" segment)
+: Lea Thompson's appearance (Although some of her acting is questionable in this, I do have to admit that she is attractive in this movie)
+: The Howard costume (looks far more realistic than if it would've been done in CGI)

What didn't work in this movie
(I think you all know what's coming next)

-: DUCK TITS...WOO HOO!!! (WHAT IN THE HOLY HELL WAS GEORGE LUCAS ON WHEN HE THOUGHT THIS UP?!! I am in total agreement with the Nostalgia Critic on this, this is no way in hell PG-rated material, this is R-rated material. I know I said a moment ago that Howard the Duck was not intended on being for kids but this is completely unnecessary. Not to mention biologically inaccurate since birds do not have mammary glands to begin with, though they do have breasts. Maybe they could've gotten away with it if they didn't show nipples, but not as it's shown here. Of course, there's also the part where he's looking at Playduck magazine which has exposed breasts in this as well. Yeah, I know it might seem a bit hypocritical that I'd be bitching about this considering the fact that I'm on FA and I also happen to have a story series involving a relationship between my human self and an anthropomorphic being (Mari), but at least she's a mammal and she's supposed to have mammary glands...plus, the story is intended for adult audiences anyway.)
-: The relationship between Howard and Beverly does seem awkward to me for some reason, maybe not quite as awkward as some people might see it as, but still strange nonetheless (this might be the result of them being a little bit too close to one another and it also seems that Beverly is the one who takes an interest in Howard before he makes a move on her. If it was the other way around, maybe it wouldn't be so big of an issue since that's a bit like how Howard's character is supposed to behave)
-: The acting of the main (human) characters...Lea Thompson's acting in this left a lot to be desired (particularly early on) and Tim Robbins seemed even worse. Jeffery Jones seemed decent to me, but that wasn't enough to make up for the short comings.
-: There are stupid moments scattered throughout the film (outside of "Duck Tits" that is...there are a few bad puns and questionable scenes, but I don't think it's quite as rampant as what the Nostalgia Critic has claimed)
-: The police in the movie are absolute DUMB FUCKS! (Not only do they allow Howard and Phil to take off in the Ultralite, they also allow them to get away all while not even receiving a peep of information about the Dark Overlord of the Universe blowing up cars, killing police officers, destroying property, AND WALKING INTO A NUCLEAR REACTOR AND DRAINING IT TO THE POINT WHERE THERE IS NO ENERGY LEFT IN THE CHAMBER)
-: The scene where the Ultralite flies through an open boxcar (No...that does not happen in real life. Hell, I have a hard time believing it could happen in a movie. I can buy the fact that a walking/talking duck crash lands on Earth, I can buy the fact that said duck is in a romantic relationship with a human girl. I can even believe that female ducks on his home planet have breasts like a human female would have. But there is no way in hell you can convince me that a flying machine could be capable of threading the needle like that)

Things that have me asking questions in this movie

?: If Jenning is transformed into the Dark Overlord of the Universe and still looks human in appearance, then how does his human characteristics survive all the bullshit the Dark Overlord puts it through (like going into a nuclear reactor for example...wouldn't his skin at the very least be horribly burned or something?)
?: For that matter, when the Dark Overlord comes out of his body, how is he able to return to normal if the Dark Overlord completely took over his body, replacing his entire internal structure? (Seems to me that he should've been dead and probably should've ended up like that poor dog did in Alien 3)
?: How is Howard able to survive his trip into our world to begin with? (First of all, there's no air in space, secondly he crashes through a neon sign and then a metal roof. Even though he does land in a comfy chair, I would think that all of that shit would likely kill him, or at the very least seriously injure him if you could explain why he could survive in space)
?: When Howard goes out into the pouring rain, why does it seem like he doesn't like it (I thought that rainy weather was weather that only a duck could love) =3

CONCLUSION: Like I said, all things aside...this movie isn't as bad as some people say it is. It was intended for a more mature audience and it was also intended to be a cheesy movie. That said, there are a bunch of questions that need answers and there are also several moments of stupidity and awkwardness that degrade any potential for a good movie.

Story Grade: C- (The story is feasible, but the delivery is terrible and there are too many questions)
Entertainment Grade: C- (Depending on what kind of mood you're in, this can be entertaining to some extent, but not if you approach it seriously.)

OVERALL GRADE (Story/Entertainment average): C-
(I would consider this a "guilty pleasure", it's cheesy humor and a few wise cracks from Howard make it a good movie to riff and make fun of while also having a good time doing so. However, as a feature film, it's not very good...though it is a million times better than most of the other "family" films produced nowadays. That being said, don't let your kids watch this...especially the Duck Tits part.)

Now, for the second half of the double review

VG Review #42: Wolverine
Year Produced: 1991
Publisher: LJN
Developer: Software Creations
Game Style: Side-scrolling platformer
NOTE: No gameplay video this time around since I think AVGN's review of X-Men (which also includes this game) provides a sufficient example of what this game is like. If you want to see it, go find it on his site or on Gametrailers.

Plot: You play as Wolverine out to find Sabertooth and kick his ass in a manner that only the badassness of Wolverine can.

Personal Experience: I've only played a little bit of this game as it was inspired by what I saw in AVGN's X-men review. I was curious to see it for myself and see if it really was as bad as he claimed. As a result, some of the things I'll be describing here are things he already brought up, just so you know ahead of time.

What works with the game

+: Wolverine looks like Wolverine (unlike the other X-Men game produced for the NES)
+: Wolverine's claws are usable by pressing select (but there's a catch to it that I'll get to in a minute)
+: The graphics look much better than the graphics in the first NES X-Men game (actually looking like someone gave a damn about what they were making. They're not great, but they're decent)

What doesn't work about the game

-: No recovery time between hits (an enemy can conceivably kill you lightning fast)
-: Using the claws hurt you (but it only seems to do so when you hit something and it doesn't seem to drain as much energy as what James mentioned...at least it didn't seem like it when I played it)
-: It is hard to see where you're going at times in the game (sometimes you'll end up falling to your death rather than onto a platform below. I didn't find this to be as big of an issue as James did, but it's still there)

Things that have me asking questions about this game

Why does it harm Wolverine to use his claws in this (Does it happen when he does it in the comics, movies, or cartoon...hell no. So why does it happen here?)

CONCLUSION: A huge improvement from the first NES X-Men title and one of the better LJN-published games. However, it's mediocre at best and is nothing really special.

Graphics: 6 (Decent, but not spectacular)
Music (sound effects): 5 (Improved considerably from X-Men, but only average at best)
Story: 6 (Seems to be in canon with what the characters would do, though I have to admit I didn't really pay much attention to X-Men as a kid)
Gameplay: 4 (A little better than what the Nerd makes it out to be, but no recovery time and having the claws hurt you are both stupid)
Replay Factor/Intangibles: 4 (It's a playable game and there are challenging bits that can have you trying to beat the game until you win, but everything about this game is so...average)

FINAL GRADE: 5.0/C (A ho-hum game about a real comic badass who deserves better than this. Might be worth playing just for shits and giggles, but it's not worth owning.)


I will be producing a revised production schedule sometime in the next week which will go over the remainder of this cycle. There will be a few changes made to the original version, which I will explain when the time comes. Until then, have a happy start to 2012 and try not to get too drunk.

Contra 4
Year Produced: 2007
Publisher: Konami
Developer: WayForward (Holy Shit, someone other than Konami actually developed this game?!! Or is this another one of Konami's shell companies...like Ultra)
Game Style: Side-scrolling shooter
NOTE: I have not played Contra 3, so some of the things in this game that were in Contra 3 are new to me

Plot: Much like the previous Contra games, you're out to stop the evil Black Viper and his alien baddies from taking over the world. (By the way, I'm not going to give you the usual "of course" gag this time, but I will give you this instead) Admittedly, I originally thought you were fighting the Red Falcon again, but after reading the Wikipedia article I discovered it was someone else. Though it might as well be the Red Falcon considering some of the enemies you have to fight in this.

Personal Experience: If you don't know how I feel about Contra already, then please go see my review on the original Contra game. As for this game, my purchase of this was based solely on how I felt about the franchise, both Contra and Super C were enjoyable games to play when I was growing up and still are today, so you know I was excited to see they came out with a DS version.

>: Contra 4 has the following upgrades to your gun, most of which are from past Contra games. All of the weapons here have two levels, you have to collect two of the same letter (unless you're playing in easy mode) to have the upgraded gun.

Machine # Continuous stream of bullets from your gun...upgraded gun has double the bullets

# Shoots out flames in a circular fashion (Contra version)...upgraded version shoots fireballs that explode on contact with an enemy or object (Super C version)

# Shoots a beam of energy from your gun at a rapid pace...upgraded version has a larger beam

# Shoots three shots at one time...upgraded version is the same from Contra and Super C (5-way spread)

# Fires high-explosive rockets from your gun...upgraded version has bigger rockets

# Fires rockets that seek out targets, much like the similarly titled item from Thunder Force III...upgraded version shoots three rockets at once

What works with the game

+: Being able to have two guns at once and being able to easily switch between them by pressing the L button (comes in handy for preserving better weapons for when you need them)
+: Contra and Super C are unlockable in this (see below for more details...you can also do the Konami code in Contra, just remember that instead of pressing "B,A"...you'll need to press "Y,B" since "Y" is "B" and "B" is "A"...ironic that "B" would be "A", isn't it)
+: The Crush Rockets (they can help you make shorter work of tough opponents)
+: The upgraded Hunter gun (it's like the Spread gun on steroids)
+: The laser in the game is much improved from that in the original Contra (being able to fire rapidly while also being fairly powerful)
+: The gameplay (while it isn't quite as good as Contra or Super C, it's still pretty easy to pick up on)
+: Variable Difficulty (whether you're like the Irate Gamer or are a gaming god, there's a difficulty level in this game that's ideal for you)
+: Challenge Mode (you can play these to unlock content, including Contra and Super C)

What doesn't work about the game

-: They murdered the sound in Contra on this game (it doesn't sound the same as it would on the NES...granted the DS is a whole different animal from the NES, but some of the sounds from this version of Contra sound a bit grating)
-: Getting used to wall climbing and using the grappling hook (this is a minor issue, but it was still a bit difficult for me to get used to at first)

Things that have me asking questions about the game

?: Could the aliens in this game look any more like the xenomorphs from the Alien movies?!! (I'm serious here, you could almost slap the word "Alien" or "Aliens" here and it would almost be an accurate title. I see creatures that resemble xenomorphs and face huggers, as well as face hugger eggs. Yeah, I know I commented about this somewhat in my first Contra review, but I felt I had to say it again)

CONCLUSION: This looks like a cheap cash-in game. To be honest, I've seen worse games of this type, but this is not very good. Plus, there are better versions of American Gladiators out there...like the Amiga version for example.

Graphics: 8 (Looks pretty good, and takes advantage of the dual-screen design of the DS rather well)
Music: 7 (Some of the Contra 4 music sounds reminiscent of the original Contra, which is done pretty well...but as far as the sound quality in Contra goes or at least THIS version of the game, it could've been better)
Story: 6 (Copypasta from Contra and Super C...not bad per se, but not entirely original)
Gameplay: 8 (Using the grappling hook, wall climbing and the dual screen format take some time to adapt to...but everything else is solid)
Replay Factor/Intangibles: 9 (Contra and Super C are huge pluses to this game, plus the fact it has a challenge mode also helps replay value.)

FINAL GRADE: 7.6/B+ (Not quite as good as the original Contra, but it is a reasonable facsimile, plus you can always complete enough challenges to unlock the original if you want to play it on the go. Overall, it's a good game to have for your DS)


Next Review (on New Year's Day): Howard the Duck and Wolverine (NES)...DOUBLE REVIEW!

2011 Year in Review
As 2011 comes to a close, I figured I'd do a little something to look back on the past year, featuring the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good

>: I finally got to head out to Albuquerque to see my girlfriend IRL (even though I had to endure all the bullshit in OKC along the way)
>: Minnesota Lynx = WNBA Champions (unlike the Wolves, who haven't done a damn thing right since KG left, the Lynx did exactly what they needed to do with the first pick in last year's draft...PICK MAYA MOORE! That aside, it wasn't just the addition of Maya Moore that helped the team win the Championship, it was also a total team effort as the collection of talent finally lived up to their true potential)
>: No more Osama Bin Laden (Good riddance to bad rubbish...though there's still a lot of other snakes in the grass that need to be weeded out.)

The Bad

>: Learning that my grandmother passed away...THREE MONTHS AFTER IT HAPPENED. (I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later, but it wasn't until a stroke of chance occured before I learned the truth)
>: Super Outbreak 2011 (Normally, I'd be all excited about a huge ass severe weather outbreak, but not when it involves seeing hundreds killed and cities getting raped by EF-4 or EF-5 tornadoes)
>: Michelle Bachmann (Seriously, she needs to shut the fuck up...I'm an independent and I think that her words about how 'disasters are a sign from God that we need to stop spending money' is bullshit and her comment about it being a 'joke' is even worse. God does not play favorites, God will do whatever the fuck God wants to do and there isn't a damn thing anyone can do to keep it from happening. Personally, I think using God as a political tool is complete and utter BULLSHIT to begin with)
> The Vikings (normally, I would be one to say that a first-year head coach should not be fired after one shitty season in order to give the coach a fair chance. No, not in this case...Leslie Frasier deserves to be fired because this team has constantly lacked motivation and blown halftime leads on several occasions. I also call to question what the hell compelled the Vikings to draft Christian Ponder in the first place. In fairness to Ponder, he does have potential, but he needs to learn from his mistakes. Still, I think the Vikings could've gotten a better quality Quarterback than they did in the draft)

The Ugly

>: Joplin, MO (I know I could've mentioned it in "The Bad" section, but when an EF-5 tornado tears through a fairly built up area and becomes one of the deadliest in US History, I figured it's both bad AND ugly. Also, this happened on the same day where I had a close call with a (much weaker but still deadly) tornado that tore through North Minneapolis and Fridley)
>: The Twins (Losing 99 games after winning a division title two straight years is not pretty. Granted, injuries did play some role in it and I also think that some players also underachieved, but it was difficult watching them play this season...especially in August and September)
>: Congress in general (This congress makes the "rubber stamp congress" of the "W" era look efficient in comparison. Almost nothing got done aside from both sides bitching at each other and trying to make the other side look like an ass...which is why I became independent to begin with, I'm sick of all the bitching. Meanwhile, people remain jobless and hoping that their elected officials do something to help them. I personally hope that as many of these people in Congress get the pink slip that THEY deserve in November, I don't really give a rat's ass what the result of it is as long as the message is sent loud and clear to congress that they are put there to work for THE PEOPLE...not the lobbyists or special interests)

As most of you already know by now, it's that time of the year again where I head out of town for Christmas and head on over to my parents' house. This trip will likely be shorter than recent ones though since I'll be leaving tomorrow morning and likely coming home Monday afternoon (usually these trips are 3 nights long). Anyway, I'll still be poking in and out periodically for the rest of the evening and possibly tomorrow morning before I go if time permits. However, after tomorrow morning, don't expect to hear from me again 'til Monday at least (no reliable internet up there).

Also, it's been a while since the last time I've posted anything here. However, I do have stories that are in production for this page and there are two of them that are close to being complete. It is possible that I may finish one of these before I go to bed tonight, but no guarantees (I'm gonna try). Otherwise, it's highly likely that I'll have at least one new story ready to go after I get back.

Finally, in regards to the Contra 4 review, I will do it after I return from out of town (most likely on Monday Night).

Anyway, if you don't hear from me again tonight, I'll see you guys when I get back.

# I know I've been neglecting the Independent Thoughts series and I will try to get back to that real soon. Between stories and all of the other things I go through, I don't have the amount of time I'd like to have to work on these things.

First of all, I apologize for not getting to this sooner, I was busy Christmas shopping last weekend and never had time to re-watch the movie so I could prepare a proper review. I'll try to do better from here on out adhering to the schedule I put out.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Released in: 1971
Produced by: Warner Bros.
Type of Release: Theatrical
Rotten Tomatoes score/my equivalent: 88%/A

Personal History

This was another movie that I first saw during that phase in my life when I wouldn't watch anything unless it was either animated, had xenomorphs/Ripley/Hudson in it, had Ralphie* in it (that'll be a review for another time), or had some form of severe weather associated with it (I.E.: Wizard of Oz with the tornado). Also, much like other movies I saw during this phase in my life, I wasn't particularly fond of it at first. But, much like Neverending Story, as I grew older, I began to appreciate the movie a lot more, especially for it's humor and its wit. Plus, I did love seeing those little brats get their comeuppance in the end.

It should also be noted that I am aware that this movie was remade not too long ago by Tim Burton. I've never really seen much of it though, but from what little I have seen of it. The original is the more preferable of the two. Plus, I am familiar with what Jay Sherman (Jon Lovitz) once said in an episode of The Critic..."If it's a remake of a classic...watch the classic". Does this mean I won't watch the other movie...not necessarily, but I have no real desire to do so.

Basic Storyline

Based of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (which I've never really read), it follows the story of Charlie (an elementary-school aged boy) as he tries to live a normal life as a kid but is thrust into adulthood because he (along with his mom) has to care for their family. As such, Charlie works harder than he should for his age and has to live in less than ideal conditions for raising a kid (at least in terms of living conditions). Then, one day, Mr. Eccentric himself (Willy Wonka) decides to send out five golden tickets to five kids...four of them either being total brats (in the case of Veruca and Mike), or just bad habits (in the case of Augustus and Violet) with Charlie being the most innocent of the five thanks to his lifestyle. During the tour of the Chocolate Factory, each of the naughty little brats gets a lesson that they sorely deserve when they either get too greedy, too bitchy, or too curious. Even Charlie learns a lesson when he drinks the Fizzy Lifting drink along with Grandpa Joe and nearly finds out what happens when a bird gets caught in a jetliner's engine (more or less). In the end, all of it turns out to be a test by Wonka to find an innocent child to run the factory in his place and take care of the Oompa Loompas, in which Charlie is eventually selected because of his sweet and honest nature.

What works with this movie (there is a LOT to like about this movie)

+: The humor and wit (This is coming from someone who watches stuff like The Nostalgia Critic, Linkara, and the Cinema Snob religiously and when I say that some of the scenes and lines in the movie feel like they remind me of those three guys, you know they're doing something right. There is one particular scene that I like more than the others though, and I'll get to that in a few moments. There are also moments in the movie that seem to have a Tex Avery-style feeling to them in the humor department, a bit corny in nature, but still enjoyable nonetheless)
+: The story (Although there are a couple of plotholes that needed to be paved over, it does a good job of blending the real-life scenario along with the fantasy of the Chocolate Factory itself)
+: Gene Wilder (I absolutely love the way he portrayed Wonka in this, being wise, charming, and a bit psycho all in one package. Certainly a lot better than Johnny Depp's portrayal of the character...though in his defense, with him looking like he did in that film wasn't helpful in making me feel like I did about Gene Wilder either)
+: Charlie (He seemed like just about any normal boy, genuinely sweet and innocent within, but also had his own wishes and desires like any kid would have. He wasn't overly greedy or selfish, he just wished for something better than what he had. Considering the conditions he grew up in, who could blame him?)
+: Grandpa Joe (Wise and quirky...never have I seen anyone who could play the role of a live-action Lou Pickles if they ever made a live-action Rugrats movie...and if the actor playing Grandpa Joe was still around to do it at the time. It should also be noted that the way he looks in this, he could also double as Albert Einstein or even Dr. Wily...hmm, go figure)
+: The Computer Scene (remember when I was talking about the humor and wit part...well, this is the one scene I mentioned before. When the scientist asks where the three (at that time) remaining golden tickets are, the computer responds in a way that sounds like it was programmed by Linkara or the Cinema Snob.)
+: The Demon Tunnel scene (Of course, I'm gonna mention this...it's like if the movie suddenly decided to drop LSD for a few moments. Just think, if this movie came out about 15 years or so later, they could've put an image of the Zuul dogs in there)
+: The Oompa Loompa songs (after each of the little brats gets what was coming to them, I love the way how the Oompa Loompas seem to mock them by singing about how greedy, spoiled, or bratty they are while also conveying a lesson in the process)
+: Watching Veruca get dropped like a bad habit (of the four other kids who got chosen, I hated Veruca the most...she was an evil little bitch, sort of what would happen if you crossed Michelle Bachmann with Angelica Pickles. Seeing her go down the garbage chute with her father following her brought me great pleasure indeed) >:}

What didn't work in this movie (while there isn't much to complain about here, there are a couple things that I need to nitpick about)

-: The green screen effects look rather obvious (This is a relatively minor issue, but it's clearly obvious when it happens in the movie. To be fair though, it was made in the early 70's and perhaps the green screen effects weren't as refined as they are nowadays).
-: Considering how Willy Wonka wanted to select a kid to take over running the factory, he should've thought harder about his contest. (What I mean by that is, there was no guarantee that the five Golden Tickets would end up in the hands of five random kids. Granted, the kids are the ones who predominately ate chocolate, but that doesn't guarantee anything. That is what contest rules are for...although, again to be fair, it did lead up to some of the humor found in the movie...including the Computer scene I mentioned a little while ago).
-: The liquid chocolate (I agree with the Nostalgia Critic on this, it doesn't look how chocolate should look...it looks more like chocolate water than actual chocolate)

Things that have me asking questions in this movie

?: What kind of parents would name their kid "Dodo"? (I'm not kidding here, the actress playing Mike's mother is named "Dodo". To be fair though, that doesn't sound as bad as being named Seymour Butts (or any variation thereof) or any of the other names that Bart gave Moe whenever he prank called Moe's Tavern. Though I don't think there's any possibility of there ever being a person named "I'm a stupid moron with an ugly face, and a big butt, and my butt smells...and I like to kiss my own butt")
?: Why would anyone consider a lifetime supply of chocolate as "the most sought after prize in history"? (Yeah, because you know, a lifetime supply of chocolate sounds a lot more interesting than...oh, I don't know, how 'bout financial security for the rest of your life. Though owning a chocolate factory could go a long way towards that)
?: Why does Slugworth look like Judge Doom? (I know, they meant to make him look "evil", but whenever I see him, it makes me think that Roger Rabbit should be somewhere nearby)

CONCLUSION: This movie feels every bit as enjoyable now as it did when I was younger. It's definitely a classic movie and deserves to be watched and cherished by everyone young and old.

Story Grade: B+ (Technically, the remake is closer to the actual book from what I've heard and there are a couple of plotholes in the movie. Outside of that though, the story is good)
Entertainment Grade: A+ (Funny, witty, and all around enjoyable)

OVERALL GRADE (Story/Entertainment average): A
(If you haven't watched the movie in a while, go ahead and watch it...it's still a fun ride from start to end. Also, make sure that your kids watch this movie...even if they've seen the remake. It's a fun film for the kids to watch that doesn't contain any of the bullshit that certain movies nowadays posess. I'm talking about YOU...Alvin and the Chipmunks "Chipwrecked")

Next Movie Review: Howard the Duck (New Year's Eve)
Next Review: Contra 4 (TBD...either later this week before I leave for Christmas or the day after I get back)

*: If you don't know who I'm talking about...watch "A Christmas Story"

American Gladiators (NES version)
Year Produced: 1991
Publisher: GameTek
Developer: Incredible Technologies
Game Style: uh...damned if I know (seems to have several different styles of gameplay from side-scrolling "platformers" to sports style competition. Though since American Gladiators is a sports-themed show, I'd be more inclined to call it a sports related game)
NOTE: Since the only videos that I could find of the NES version were from other reviewers or did not show all the events in the game, there will be no sample video this time. Though you can look it up on YouTube if you're curious.

Plot: Based (somewhat loosely) on American Gladiators, your goal is to get through five events and the Eliminator to become American Gladiators Grand Champion. I'll explain what I mean by "loosely" in a little bit.

Personal Experience: On weekends, when I was growing up I had three traditions. The first was watching cartoons on Saturday Morning (I had a preference for CBS in those days because of Muppet Babies, Garfield, and the Ninja Turtles), another was spending every other Sunday with my father (my parents got divorced when I was like 4 or 5 and I only got to see my dad once every two weeks), and the last one was watching American Gladiators. I honestly don't remember what compelled me to watch the show to begin with, but once I did I was interested in it. Personally, my favorite events were Powerball and Assault (both can be found in the game...sort of).

As for the game itself, I wasn't really totally aware of its existence until many years later when I happened to try it out, mostly for shits and giggles. Now that I have played the game, well...let's put it this way, I'd much rather be on the actual show than play the game and I'll explain what I mean below

> There are five events plus the Eliminator in this game (I've never made it as far as the Eliminator, so I have no personal experience with it. However, Here's what it looks like if you're curious...and I have to say, if the Eliminator in the show looked anything like it does here, it'd be a real bitch)

Joust: Go from platform to platform fighting several Gladiators along the way. In the show, you weren't allowed to step on the Gladiators platform (and vice-versa), but in here it's mandatory.

Powerball: The only event in the game that looks exactly like the event in the show. Although the Gladiators will pick on you even if you don't have a ball in your hands (another thing that doesn't happen in the show)

Human Cannonball: Swing from platform to platform to try and knock the Gladiators off

Assault: Try to hit a mobile tennis ball cannon with Nerf missiles while avoiding getting hit (in this you "die" if you get hit three times, in American Gladiators all it takes is one hit to eliminate you)

The Wall: I hate the wall in this...I'll explain why in a little bit. You have to try and climb up a "wall" without falling off or being pulled off by a gladiator.

What works with the game

+: The voice effects (particularly when you send a Gladiator off a platform and hear them scream. This is easily the most enjoyable part of the game)
+: Powerball (Plays almost exactly like in the show, except for the gladiators picking on you even when there's no reason for them to do so)
+: In Joust, you have several different types of attack style, plus a blocking move. In addition, there is a power-up that will give you an instant KO over a gladiator.

What doesn't work about the game

-: The gameplay in this is highly variable in responsiveness (in Powerball and when you're fighting in Joust it seems to be decent enough, but for The Wall, dear god...I hate the controls in that event. Having to tap buttons to make you go up the wall instead of using the fucking D-pad is fucked up. Also, the jumping mechanics are a bit sub-par)
-: The graphics (Holy shit do they look putrid...I've seen worse, but the way the sprites are designed and the overall appearance makes it look really half-assed)
-: The musical score (some of it is OK, but most of it sound pretty crummy)
-: The way some events are changed (In all fairness, I do understand that sometimes having a creative license is a good thing. But this is American Gladiators, you do not make radical changes to events shown on TV unless there's a damn good reason)
-: The one player mode (In the show, you're competing against the gladiators AND another challenger, in this you're just competing against the gladiators. Why couldn't you increase the competitiveness in one player by adding a CPU challenger in addition to the gladiators? NOTE: I have not played two player mode in this so I don't know what's different between one and two players)

Things that have me asking questions about the game

?: Why did the change the Eliminator to make it the way it is here (wasn't it hard enough on the show...I mean, you have the treadmill, the hand bike, the rolling cylinders, the cargo net, the zip line, and then the final straightaway where you had a 50% chance of running into a waiting Gladiator. In this, you have to dodge hundreds of medicine balls while jumping from platforms and conveyor belts, going across two stretches with the hand bike and then an endless zip line until you finally make it to the end...speaking of the zip line)
?: Wouldn't falling from being suspended that high up from the stage onto a hard platform be hazardous to your health? (Falling into the padding is one thing, but if you're expected to make a perfect two point landing on a platform from god knows how high up, that might be kinda difficult)

CONCLUSION: This looks like a cheap cash-in game. To be honest, I've seen worse games of this type, but this is not very good. Plus, there are better versions of American Gladiators out there...like the Amiga version for example.

Graphics: 2 (Bland and lacking of effort)
Music: 3 (It ranges from tolerable to annoying)
Story: 4 (Based on American Gladiators with some changes made...mostly for the worse)
Gameplay: 3 (Fighting in Joust and Powerball are playable, but going against the Wall is a pain in the ass)
Replay Factor/Intangibles: 3 (It's fun to listen to the screams of the Gladiators as you knock 'em off platforms, but that doesn't make up for the overall half-assed approach the developers took to the game)

FINAL GRADE: 3.0/D (If you're gonna play American Gladiators and not end up getting physically pummeled, seek out the Amiga version if you can, don't bother with this one)


Next VG Review: Contra 4
Next Week's Review: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

I'm back from Albuquerque. I've actually been back since Monday evening, I'm just now having a chance to post a journal about it. Anyway, overall the trip was worth the wait and the ride through the countryside was worth the 30 hours or so I spent on the bus each way. However, there was one little bitty problem along the way

WARNING: Extreme rant ahead...there may be a ton of obscenities and swearing forthcoming.

If you ever decide to take a Greyhound anywhere...for the love of god AVOID OKLAHOMA CITY LIKE THE PLAGUE!!! On the way to Albuquerque I had to transfer from Kansas City in Oklahoma City and the bus going to Albuquerque was THREE FUCKING HOURS LATE with no conclusive explanation over why it was late in the first place. You'd think that alone would be enough to piss me off, but no...it gets worse. On the way back, transferring from Oklahoma City to Kansas City the bus was nearly an hour late in leaving Oklahoma City. While this was not as bad as what happened on the way there, it's still fucking annoying to have to stand around like an idiot for longer than I need to while the bus driver is harping at some passengers about "cigaweed". But I'm not done bitching at Oklahoma City yet...

Another thing that really pissed me off about Oklahoma City was the condition of the bus station there. Oh my god, it looks absolutely HORRIBLE. First of all, there's no on-site restaurant (there isn't one at the station in Minneapolis either, but at least our station makes up for that by having a wide variety of vending machines including some with actual food in them). Secondly, in regards to their vending machines, pretty much every one of them has a sign saying "use at your own risk" on them and there are only a few of them there...nowhere near as many as there are back home. However, the most irritating part of the station is what it looks like on the inside. If it wasn't for the modern flat-screen TV in one corner of the station, I swear to god the station looks like it hasn't changed much at all since about the 1960's. This is 2011 (and soon to be 2012), at least you could renovate the place to make it more functional and appealing to look at. Hell, aside from the Minneapolis and Albuquerque stations (which are by far the best looking ones I've been in the entire trip), I stopped at two other stations along the way there and back. Kansas City as I had already mentioned earlier, and also in Amarillo, TX. While both of those stations weren't exactly as modern as the Minneapolis or Albuquerque stations (in fact the one in Amarillo was having work done on it on the way into Albuquerque). However, both of those stations are far better than the one in Oklahoma City, just from the fact that they DO have an on-site restaurant. That alone makes them a million times better than the one in Oklahoma City...plus, they have a wider selection of vending machines, a shop containing souvenirs and other items for the trip (as part of the restaurant) and a better selection of arcade games. In fact, I saw a Ms. Pac Man/Galaga combo machine and a Lethal Enforcers arcade in the station at Amarillo.

In conclusion, I'm not going to say "fuck Oklahoma City" since it would not be fair to judge the city itself just by its shitty ass Greyhound station...plus the fact that my baby sister lives in OKC. However I will give the Greyhound station there the flaming "fuck you" middle finger for being such a horrid piece of shit and having such terrible service to the passengers there. Next time, I'll go through Denver...or I'll choose something other than Greyhound, like Amtrak (though that would require me to get to Chicago before catching a train to Albuquerque). If only Southwest Airlines had a direct route from Minneapolis to Albuquerque, that might make it worth having to go through the headache of going through security. However, I refuse to pay any stupid ass, unnecessary bag fees on airlines...the greedy sons-of-bitches.

Anyway, I'm done harping about this now. I'll be reviewing American Gladiators for the NES in a couple of days. Plus, outside of Oklahoma City, the rest of the trip wasn't that bad.

I'm just about to head out the door to begin my trip to see Sapphire in Albuquerque for the first time. I should still be able to have internet access while I'm gone, but I don't know how much time I'll have to get on it, so if there's anything you want/need to tell me, it may take a little while before I get to it.

Also, as I'm about to leave, I wanted to give you all some advice. Whatever you do...DON'T order tickets from Greyhound and have them mail them to you. You wouldn't believe the headache I had to go through just to get all of that shit settled. (I'd insert a clip of Lord Zedd getting really pissed off to express how angry I was over it, but I can't seem to find a decent one on Youtube)

First of all, I forgot to do the review last week. Not only that, but I screwed up the review schedule to boot. The next game I was to review wasn't American Gladiators for the NES, it's Sol-Deace. So, in order to make it up to you guys (and to get back on schedule), I'm going to make this a DOUBLE review. Including the make-up review for Sol-Deace plus the regularly scheduled review of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.

VG Review #39: Sol-Deace (AKA: Sol-Feace)
Year Produced: 1990
Publisher/Developer: Wolf Team
Game Style: Space Shoot'em up
Sample Video of Gameplay: CLICK HERE
Additional Information: The sample video posted appears to be from the Sega CD version...I've played the Genesis version (which would explain the difference in title since the Genesis version was called Sol-Deace and the CD version was called Sol-Feace. The only real discernable difference I noticed between the two versions was the sound quality).

Plot: More or less, the plot is similar to that of Thunder Force III. In the future, humans build a super-intelligent super computer which is meant to unite galaxies, but instead is used as a tool for conquering worlds by an evil emperor.

Personal Experience: This is the other Space shooter for the Genesis that I got into along with Thunder Force III. I knew very little about the game at the time I played it and had never heard of it before in my entire life. To be honest, I don't know exactly what compelled me to start playing it in the first place...it was about 15 years ago and my memory on how I decided to pop this in my Genesis is a bit fuzzy. However, once I did begin playing it, I enjoyed doing so. Even if the furthest I've ever gotten in the game was the fourth stage.

> In Sol-Deace, the weapon system is a bit more simple than in Thunder Force III. You start with a single shot cannon on the front of your craft and it can be upgraded in these ways through destroying satellites.

Side Cannons: This is the first power-up you'll likely encounter and it will come out each time you die as well. These will give you two extra cannons that initially shoot single shots, but you can tilt them in up to about a 45 degree angle to suit your needs. I haven't played this game in years, so I forgot how to do this off the top of my head.

Double Shot: Turns either your main gun or your side guns into a double shot. The benefit to this is when your side cannons are tilted, you can shoot up to five ways at one time, since the angle of each turret would be slightly different.

Rockets: Shoots some sort of missle from your cannons

Laser: This is my favorite weapon in the game, shoots a steady stream laser from your cannons that goes through enemies like a hot knife through butter. Can make quick work out of tough opponents.

What works with the game

+: The gameplay (Fast paced and easy to get into)
+: The music (While not as impressive as Thunder Force III, it still has good music for a Genesis game)
+: Having tiltable side cannons (depending on what weapon you're using, you can shoot up to five different directions
+: The laser (I would recommend having at least one of these whenever possible (preferably as your main cannon)
+: Some of the enemies in the game look pretty intimidating (although some of them are also more bark than they are bite)

What doesn't work about the game

-: The difficulty (This is another game that can become a bullet hell at times...especially during boss battles)
-: The story (while it isn't bad per se, it just feels generic...especially considering that I just reviewed Thunder Force III a few weeks ago)

Normally, this is the part where I'd have questions regarding the game, but I seriously can't think of any this time around.

CONCLUSION: In all honesty, I prefer Thunder Force III in comparison to this. However, this is still an enjoyable game and I don't think it would be a bad choice to have it in your collection...though there are better space shooters out there.

Graphics: 10 (Seems quite detailed in the sprites and as I mentioned before, the enemies can look a bit intimidating at times...especially when they're hurling a million bullets and/or projectiles at you. Both the Genesis version and the CD version have nearly identical graphics)
Music (sound effects): 8 (Not as memorable as Thunder Force III, but still quite good)
Story: 6 (More or less, copypasta from Thunder Force III)
Gameplay: 6 (This game is more of a bullet hell than Thunder Force III is. I've managed to beat Thunder Force III before, but I've only made it to Stage 4 in this. Plus, the weapon system is not as great in this as in Thunder Force III.)
Replay Factor/Intangibles: 5 (Outside of the graphics and the music quality, it seems fairly generic otherwise.)

FINAL GRADE: 7.0/B (Not the best space shooter, but worth giving a try at least)


And now, for the regularly scheduled review for the week...

Movie Review #19: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers
Released in: 1995
Produced by: 20th Century Fox
Type of Release: Theatrical
Rotten Tomatoes score/my equivalent: 45%/C-

Personal History

To begin with, I was in middle school (AKA: Junior High) when Power Rangers first aired on TV and while at first it seemed kinda stupid to me, I actually got into it. Of course, it helped that the first episodes that I really watched were a part of the "Green with Evil" 5-part series. After that, I was into the show and watched it through the first two seasons. So naturally, when the movie came out I wanted to see it (along with my younger siblings). At the time, I was gullible enough to think that the movie was "good" and expected this to be the Power Rangers' future. When I saw that it wasn't, I sorta lost interest in the series and stopped watching it for the most part, save for a few episodes here and there.

Little did I know at the time, and I wouldn't find out about this until learning about this from Linkara, that the movie was not in continuity with the actual series. Furthermore, because of Linkara's History of Power Rangers series, I've gotten back into watching the show from beginning to it's current end to see what I had missed out on. As of now, I'm currently in the middle of Season 3 of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.

Anyway, this review will serve to both give my honest opinion on the movie some 15 years after I've seen it the first time after re-watching it as an adult as well as sort of a tribute to my fellow Minnesotan.

Basic Storyline

In the movie, a bunch of construction workers reveal a hyperlock chamber (which looks like a manhole cover with a weird design) and open it up, revealing the egg of Ivan Ooze. Upon the egg's release, Lord Zedd comes down to awaken Ooze who promptly gets revenge on Zordon by totalling the command center and causing him to age rapidly without the time warp to support him. In order to stop Ooze and save Zordon, the Power Rangers must travel to a distant world and claim the Ninja powers

What works with this movie

+: Most of the original cast from the show is there with the original actors (The Rangers, Bulk and Skull, Rita and Zedd, and Goldar. Although there are some differences, I'll get to that in a bit)
+: The first unmorphed fight scene is actually pretty good with decent choreograhpy (it felt a lot like the fight scenes in the actual show)
+: There are a few jokes that actually are a bit funny in this (such as Ooze's "Brady Bunch Reunion" gag and Adam's "I'm a frog" bit...though the latter of the two might be more of a corny gag than a legitimate one)
+: Rita and Zedd in the snow globe (I don't completely understand why, but I find it humorous that they're in the snow globe like that)
+: Van Halen's "Dreams" is playing at the end of the movie (I love that song) =3
+: The last scene during the credits where Goldar thinks he's in charge now, only to have the restored Rita and Zedd enter the throne chamber, looking pissed off. (Makes me really want to see what those two would've done to monkey boy)

What didn't work in this movie
(Let the obscenities and swearing begin) >:}

-: THE CGI IN THIS MOVIE IS ABSOLUTE SHIT!!! (Especially during the final fight sequence. No, I don't give a rat's ass if the movie was made in the mid-90's there's NO EXCUSE FOR IT! The zords look HORRIBLE done in CGI, Ivan Ooze's "pets" don't look much better and when Ooze merges with the hornet robot...OH MY FUCKING GOD! He looks so bad that it makes the scene where Liu Kang turns into a dragon in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation look good in comparison! Hell, the CGI sequence where Ninjor gets angry and transforms looks better than this, and that's JAPANESE SENTAI FOOTAGE FROM LONG BEFORE THIS MOVIE WAS EVEN MADE!!!)
-: The Power Rangers' costumes look like shit as well (seriously, WTF were these people thinking. What is wrong with just using the damn costumes from the show?!! In this, their helmets look blocky, they have fake ass plastic abs and they have those stupid medallions on their chest which makes it seem like kids are so stupid that they don't know which one is which. Why do you even need that, do they have them in the TV show? Hell no...because they aren't necessary!)
-: The Music...outside of a few actual songs (No Ron Wasserman music to be found here for starters, plus the fact the original sound track has absolutely nothing to do with Power Rangers whatsoever)
-: While the opening fight scene is decent, the rest of 'em are not as good. (Either it's because of the choreography, the dialogue, the Rangers getting their asses handed to them, or a combination of the above)
-: Some of the dialogue in the movie is bad (even for Power Rangers standards)...Yes, it's common for there to be some corny dialogue during the fight scenes, but this takes it to a whole new level. Only a few of the quips I would deem "acceptable for Power Rangers standards", most of them are just dumb.
-: Bulk and Skull are WASTED in this movie...figuratively, not literally (There really isn't any really good "Bulk and Skull moments" in this, which is a bit of a drag because those two are humorous together. Add this to the fact that there's no Bulk and Skull theme in this also hurts)
-: Zordon looks weird in this (not much else to be said here...I liked him better how he was done in the TV series). Speaking of weird looks for characters...
-: Lord Zedd looks different as well (while I do kinda like how his exposed brain seems to bubble, it looks like his armor is too exaggerated. Plus, if it wasn't for Rotten Tomatoes, I would never had guessed that it WAS Robert Axelrod doing Zedd's voice, since it sounds different from the show.)
-: The way the final fight ends (very anti-climactic...not only that, but for the Power Rangers to use the comet instead of their Megazord's final attack to destroy him doesn't really do much to signify how much "better" the Ninja powers are to the older ones)
-: Skydiving...really?!! (Y'know, I can believe a lot of shit that these "teenagers" do in this show. I can see them riding on ATV's, I can see them being "obsessive goody-goods". But, seeing them going skydiving? No...that does not happen in real life. First of all, it would take a lot of training for them to do it and not end up like Peggy Hill from King of the Hill did when she tried it*. Secondly, it costs hundreds of dollars to be able to do it and I highly doubt that these "teenagers" all have jobs that would pay that kind of cash. That is too unrealistic in real-life for it to happen...even in Power Rangers)

Things that have me asking questions in this movie

?: Who the hell is that pig guy hanging around with Goldar and Co. (Is that supposed to be like the Pudgy Pig or something...re-reincarnated? Where the hell did he come from...seriously!) For that matter...
?: Where the hell are Finster, Squatt, and Baboo? (They were supporting characters in the series and yet they never show up in this movie. Granted, Squatt and Baboo were comic relief characters and Finster hasn't had much to do since Zedd took over, but it still would've been a plus to see them in this thing to show that they actually give a rat's ass about the kids who come to see the fucking film!)
?: If Ivan Ooze wants to control the world...why doesn't he just use his ooze to hypnotize all of the adults (Y'know...like he does to have them dig up his mechanical creatures. It would be a lot easier than having them do that, plus he could use the innocent civilians against the Power Rangers if he wanted, forcing them to make a difficult decision about whether or not to fight against those who are being brainwashed)

CONCLUSION: If this were an episode (or mini-series) on Power Rangers, and if it were done right...like in the middle of Season 3 and not as an origin story for how they claimed the Ninja powers. I can possibly see this being a believable story in relation to the series. As it stands right now, no...this does not make for a good transition story and it sure as hell doesn't make for a good feature film...which will dock it somewhat when I get to the final grade. Linkara said that this movie is not in continuity with the series, and I can clearly see why. If you want the story of how they got the Ninja powers that's told WELL, go look for the four part mini-series titled "Ninja Quest" in season 3. It's WAAAY better than this movie.

Story Grade: C- (it could've been good...if it wasn't a feature film and done on the TV show by more competent writers and those who have more respect for the Japanese Sentai)
Entertainment Grade: D (A few decent jokes and one decent fight scene, but not much of legitimate entertainment value outside of that, aside from riffing it that is.)

OVERALL GRADE (Story/Entertainment average): D+
(Even if you're a Power Rangers fan, you should avoid this movie...it doesn't do the show much justice. I won't say it's as big of an abomination as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3, but it's still not very good.)

I'm going to Albuquerque for Thanksgiving, so there will not be a review next week...the next review will be done in 2 weeks. Hopefully by then I'll be able to keep up with the review schedule a little better.

Next Movie Review: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (in 3 weeks)
Next Review: American Gladiators (NES)...for real this time

*: Please ignore the stupid ass joke at the end of this clip, it's the only one I could find featuring Peggy Hill's accident.

Neverending Story
Released in: 1984
Produced by: Warner Bros.
Type of Release: Theatrical
Rotten Tomatoes score/my equivalent: 86%/A-

Personal History

This was a movie that I first saw when I was in second grade, in school no less. As I've mentioned before, during this time in my life I was heavily into cartoons and really wasn't into live-action movies all that much (with the only real exceptions being the movies listed as my favorites, ET, and the Wizard of Oz). Also, being that I was young and not overly interested in live-action movies, it took me a couple of watches before the true meaning of the film dawned on me. However, once it did, I was impressed with what I saw...an imaginative film with creative characters and a solid story that would be capable of feeding imaginations for those who watch it.

Basic Storyline

It starts out with Bastian, a elementary school-age boy who's a serious bookworm as he's dealing with life after losing his mom. Naturally, as a bookworm, he's a constant target for bullies (who are more effective but also bigger jackasses than Bulk and Skull*). As such, he often runs from them whenever they chase after Bastian until he comes into a book shop, where he comes across the book, discovering the world of Fantasia and following the adventures of Atreyu as he searches for a way to stop the Nothing from destroying the world. In the end, Bastian realizes that he's a part of the story and he's the only one who can save the world of Fantasia as he is a part of it.

What works with this movie

+: The opening theme (I have this on my MP3 player and for those who have seen the movie, you'll know just how awesome it truly is)
+: The story (Aside from the "Bastian's mom is dead" part, which is cliched, the rest of the story is rock solid and imaginative)
+: The Fantasians (the way the supporting characters of the movie are portrayed help give the movie its imaginative feel)
+: Falkor (Wise, friendly, and noble...certainly a change from the way dragons are portrayed in most stories like this...even though he looks more like a dog than a dragon)
+: The Nothing as well as the explanation of what the Nothing is (a highly complex and imaginative idea for a villain, with the Nothing representing lost hopes and dreams of humans everywhere and the only way to overcome them is to never give up on them)
+: The scene where the Gmork is introduced (I think you can all guess what I was thinking when I saw it)
+: The part where Bastian rides Falkor and chases the bullies (Payback's a bitch ain't it >:} )
+: The book shop owner (I loved his sarcastic tone when he told Bastian that he sold books...made me think of a middle-aged Cinema Snob. Hell, he even looks like how the Snob might look in about 20 years)

What didn't work in this movie

-: Bastian...except for towards the end of the movie (outside of when he realizes that he's a part of the story and sounds a lot like how a young James Rolfe might sound in that situation, he's pretty dull and bland throughout the bulk of the movie)
-: The Gmork (in a land that contains Rock Biters the size of the IDS building, a guy with a fin on his forehead, a dog-faced luck dragon, and a guy who could be the understudy for the GEICO caveman. The main villian's servant is nothing more than a big, bad wolf...even though his introduction into the movie did interest me)
-: The child-like empress (I don't know, but looking at her today makes me think that she doesn't quite look or sound right. Her appearance seems a bit pale and there were a couple of times where I honestly had visions of Aang from Avatar pop in my head for some reason...I'm dead fucking serious here. In addition, I also didn't really care that much for how she sounded either)

Things that have me asking questions in this movie

?: Why does the Sphinx gate leading to the Southern Oracle have nipples? (I'm dead fucking serious...watch it for yourself if you don't believe me. This makes about as much sense to me as "Duck Tits"...but I'll save that discussion for when I get to Howard the Duck)

CONCLUSION: In all honesty, this movie has lost a little bit of its luster after watching it now as compared to about 15-20 years ago. However, it's solid story and imaginative feel remain behind. For those who have elementary school-age kids or older and you want to help build their imaginations, have 'em watch this movie as opposed to something like Spongebob or (god forbid) more recent "family" movies

Story Grade: A (If Bastian were a little more interesting, this would likely be an A+. That being said, this story is rock solid and highly imaginative)
Entertainment Grade: B+ (Not quite as entertaining now as it was back when I was younger, but it still holds high entertainment value...especially towards younger audiences.)

OVERALL GRADE (Story/Entertainment average): A-
(If you're a parent, have your kids watch this movie. If you've seen it growing up and want to watch it again, it should still be enjoyable)

Next Movie Review: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers
Next Review: American Gladiators (TOMORROW)

*: Though in defense of Bulk and Skull, they later became decent people and helped inspire the people of Angel Grove to fight against Astronema's forces in Countdown to Destruction.

First of all, I apologize for being a week late with this, I got a little carried away last weekend and I never had a chance to do this review. (In order to make up for it, I'll either do a second review this weekend for Neverending Story or do two reviews next weekend). Anyway, on to the review...

Thunder Force III
Year Produced: 1990
Publisher/Developer: Technosoft
Game Style: Space Shoot'em up
Sample Video of Gameplay: CLICK HERE
Additional Information: The sample video posted is part 1 of a 3-part speed run.

Plot: The hopes of the Galaxy Federation rest upon you being able to destroy the five components of a cloaking device which conceals the base of the ORN empire as well as it's emperor (a bio-computer named Cha Os). Please forgive me if the plot section isn't in great detail, this is the only Thunder Force game I've played enough to review, having never played the first and barely touching the second. I got this from the Thunder Force III Wikipedia article, read that if you want a more detailed description.

Personal Experience: Before our family had a Super Nintendo, we had a Sega Genesis and while two of my three favorite games for it have the words "Sonic the Hedgehog" followed by a number, this is the only one that doesn't. To be honest, this was actually a pleasant surprise to me when I first played the game. At the time, I had barely played Thunder Force II and I simply wasn't impressed with what it had to offer. Plus, there were two other shoot-'em ups that I had played that I enjoyed more than Thunder Force II. One of them being Sol-Deace (AKA: Sol-Feace), which I will be getting to in a future review, and the other one I can't remember the title of off the top of my head (something like biohazard, but as I said, I can't remember the title without seeing it for myself).

Anyway, when I first tried out Thunder Force III, I saw A LOT of things that I liked about the game and was into it from the very start (even to the point where I was up at 3 or 4 in the morning playing the game when I was about 16). For that, you'll have to read down below and I'll describe how I feel about it in more detail. Before that though, a little extra special addition to this review...a guide to the different weapons you obtain in the game.

> To begin with you have two standard weapons...dual laser cannons that shoot forward and single laser cannons that shoot in front and back of you. However, you can also upgrade these as well as obtain other weapons. Be warned, if you die with these weapons equipped, you will lose them, but only the one you had on when you die, unless you get game over.

Sever (Approximate Equivalent: Laser in Contra 4): The upgraded forward shooting weapon. Fires two to four concentrated laser beams at your opponents (depending on whether or not you have the CLAWs...but I'll get to that later)
Usefulness: Moderate (can be effective of making short work of tough enemies)

Lancer (No known video game equivalent): The upgraded dual cannons. Shoots three continuous laser beams (five with CLAWs), one in front and two (or four) in back.
Usefulness: Moderate (highly effective in areas where you have enemies trying to attack from behind)

Wave (Approximate Equivalent: Spread Gun in any of the Contra Games): Emits a wide ranging beam of energy in front of you. Add in the CLAWs for a very wide frontal range that can cover much of the screen.
Usefulness: High (Arguably the most valuable special weapon in the game...though if enemies come at you from behind, then you're fucked. Use this for areas with a LOT of enemies)

Four-Way (Approximate Equivalent: Missle Weapon in the Gradius games): Shoots normal shots from front and behind as well as missles from above and below. Adding CLAWs causes them to emit an energy pulse when you fire, adding to it's destructive power.
Usefulness: Low (the least valuable special weapon in the game. Only really useful in areas with a lot of ground-based enemies...which are generally few and far-between)

Hunter (Approximate Equivalent: Homing Sniper from Mega Man 8): Shoots photon torpedo-like balls of energy at opponents that follow their intended targets.
Usefulness: Moderate to High (Useful for areas where there are a fuckton of enemies coming at you in all directions and a must-have item when you face Cerberus)

CLAWs (Approximate Equivalent: Rotating Option from Gradius III): Two claw-like options that circle around your ship and add firepower...they also serve as shot-erasers, adding to your defense.
Usefulness: MUST HAVE!!! (Get this as soon as you possibly can and whatever you do, DON'T DIE WHILE YOU HAVE THEM!!! These things can save your bacon and make your weapons a hell of a lot more useful...except for the four-way).

There is also a shield power-up in the game as well, but I don't think I need to explain how that works...if you've played Gradius or Gradius III, you'll know how it works already.

What works with the game

+: The gameplay (Highly addictive and fast paced, again I refer you to the part where I stayed up late playing this game back in High School)
+: The music (This game (arguably) has the best music in a genesis game that I've ever heard. The only thing that I can think of that comes close to matching its awesomeness would be the music from Sonic 3.)
+: Being able to switch weapons at any time (not only is this a neat feature, but it's also ESSENTIAL)
+: Being able to select which stages you want to play in what order (though personally, I recommend the order that is done in the sample video and the other parts of the speed run)
+: Being able to control the speed of your fighter (from slow to OMGWTF fast)

What doesn't work about the game

-: The difficulty (while it can be adjusted, this game can be a bullet hell for those who aren't willing to put in the effort to play the game. Also, let me tell you this from experience, the ORN base and Cha Os are HARD MOTHERFUCKERS!)
-: Trying to understand the voice acting in the game when you pick up an item (Yeah I know it's a Genesis game and Genesis games usually aren't known for their sound quality. But this game has really good music and the voice sounds very difficult to understand.)

Things that have me asking questions about the game

?: WHERE THE HELL CAN I FIND THIS GAME?!! (Seriously, I've checked several retro game stores in town and I haven't seen one copy of this thing. I'm not going on EBay either, since I'm not willing to pay god knows what for it. I love the game, but I'm not going to spend an arm and a leg for it)

CONCLUSION: To me, this game alone is reason enough for me to buy a Genesis again...that is, if I can ever FIND the damn thing. This is a really good game and I think it deserves a look.

Graphics: 9 (Considering this was released in 1990 and was a Genesis game, it does it's job very well and it actually feels almost like a Super Nintendo game)
Music (sound effects): 10 (As good as it gets on the Genesis)
Story: 6 (Somewhat reminiscent of Star Wars with the "evil Empire" and lone fighter trying to restore peace to the galaxy)
Gameplay: 8 (Being able to switch weapons and control speed helps, but this game can be a bullet hell)
Replay Factor/Intangibles: 6 (Has many features that are reminiscent of Mega Man, which is good but it's also not unique to the game)

FINAL GRADE: 7.9/B+ (Despite the fact that it just missed getting an A, I highly recommend playing this game)


Next VG Review: Sol-Deace
Next Review: Neverending Story

The Adventures of the American Rabbit (Title shortened above for space reasons)
Released in: 1986
Produced by: MGM
Type of Release: Theatrical (believe it or not, this thing WAS released in theaters according to Rotten Tomatoes)
Because this movie has only 2 tomatometer reviews on it, coming up with a fair equivalent score based on its rating is impossible this time around.

Personal History

This was probably one of the first movies that my mother rented for me back in like '87 because I had picked it out. Back then I had (and still do to a certain extent) a thing for rabbits...of course, not exactly in the same way as I do now obviously. In addition, I was still in that whole "unless it's a cartoon, I'm not likely to watch it" phase in my life as well, so naturally I wanted to see it. I'd give an impression of what I felt about the movie as a 7-year old, but I'm afraid I don't remember enough of what it was like back then to do so. Naturally, I remember the movie and I did rewatch it a couple of times once I found it on Netflix, including yesterday when I was preparing for this review.

Basic Storyline

In a sense, it feels a lot like Superman, only with a rabbit instead of the actual Man of Steel. The American Rabbit himself exhibits a lot of characteristics of Superman in his story (being super-strong, able to fly, etc.) However, unlike Superman where he has to work at a newspaper disguised as Clark Kent, the American Rabbit is a pianist and travels along with other musicians after their club is trashed by a bunch of jackal bikers. This is pretty much the main plot of this thing, group travels from site to site trying to find work and build up funds to rebuild their club, run into jackals, American Rabbit shows up to save day, lather, rinse, repeat.

Towards the end of the movie though, the plot turns from bikersplotation to a more general superhero type plot when the one in charge of the jackals (a vulture no less) decides he wants to, you guessed it...take over the world (Naturally, I'm gonna subject you to the M. Bison 'of course' gag). I'll get to my thoughts on this plan once I further analyze it down below.

What works with this movie

+: For 1986 standards the visual quality is not too bad (it's not theatrical quality, but it's still decent and has some well-rendered backgrounds)
+: Some of the action scenes are not that bad either (though not as good as some of the scenes from TV shows of the time...like Ninja Turtles for example. Speaking of Ninja Turtles...)
+: Donatello = the main character (or more specifically the voice of Donatello. His voice suits Rob well when he's in civilian form. But there is an issue with it which I will get to shortly)
+: Lorenzo Music (Because y'know, he's the voice of Garfield and Peter Venkman in the Animated Ghostbusters series)

What didn't work in this movie

-: THE PLOT!!! (OK, let me explain here...the superhero part of the movie I can understand, but the villain's plot is ABSOLUTELY IDIOTIC! "Buzzard Breath" wants to take over the world by kidnapping a chocolate making moose and his son and forcing them to make chocolate so they can control the populace. Well, there are a few significant flaws in this idea. *begins talking like Linkara* 1. While most people like chocolate, they can certainly do without it (both literally and figuratively) and some don't even care for it in the first place. 2. Kidnapping one chocolate maker isn't going to get the job done if you want to take over the world, as ludicrous as the idea is to begin with. Even if you get the chocolate moose to do what you want him to do, there are still HUNDREDS, if not THOUSANDS of other chocolatiers worldwide, including a rather LARGE chocolate factory in Hershey, PA (not to far from NYC where said events take place). 3. IT'S NEW YORK CITY!!! They're not going to be intimidated by your jackal bikers...of course they're gonna fight back!!! 4. WHY?!! Why in the love of god does he want to take over the world in the first place?!! Because he says he's "evil", that's not a very good excuse...even if the movie is for kids. For that matter, why does he proclaim this some 2/3 of the way into the movie when it only seems at first that his group is only a menace to a localized area or to the main group?
-: Donatello as the voice OF the American Rabbit (remember when I said his voice was ideal for his civilian form? Well, as soon as he changes, the voice stays the same, which doesn't exactly invoke the feeling of "hero" to me. Sure, Donatello is a hero, but he can get away with it since he's supposed to be the techie of the ninja turtles. Couldn't the American Rabbit sound a little more manly when he's in superhero mode?)
-: Lorenzo Music in this movie (sure, I love his work as Garfield and Venkman, but in here as a talking gorilla, I don't feel those same vibes...plus he also talks in his Garfield voice in this, which makes me expect to see Garfield)
-: The protagonists in this movie (aside from the American Rabbit/Rob) are DUMBASSES! (There are several incidents of this. 1. When the aforementioned gorilla disappears and they notice a hypodermic needle on the ground and everyone but Rob suggests it's meaningless, 2. When they're booked at a club in the Grand Canyon called the "Trap Door" and they see nothing out of the ordinary with it, and 3. of course they're all stupid enough to not realize that they're being followed by the jackals everywhere they go and don't realize that it's them in OBVIOUS disguises. To all of the protagonists in the movie (except for Rob)...THIS CLIP IS FOR YOU! >:3)
-: Teddy (the panda, and owner of the wrecked club)...Let me put it this way, BEN STEIN speaks with more enthusiasm and emotion than he does. Even when Teddy gets "angry" it still sounds monotone.
-: The wizard rabbit guy who keeps popping in and out from times (especially at the beginning of the movie)...when I first noticed him in the movie, THIS was the first thing that popped in my mind.

Things that have me asking questions in this movie

?: Why would a bunch of bikers want to take orders from "Buzzard Breath"...or anyone for that matter if they're not the leader of the pack? It does not add up!
?: Why is there a Burger King poster in the background of one scene? (I'm serious...towards the end of the movie, as a cab drives over a buzzard flag after the New Yorkers turn against them, it passes a building with a Burger King poster on it. Granted, it's not a real poster, but still it makes me wonder about why it's there
?: What happened to the rabbit village when Rob left home for his life as the American Rabbit? (Did it go the same way as the raposa village did or did it just vanish into thin air?)
?: Are the villians in the movie supposed to be like Nazis? (Towards the end of the film, the jackals are wearing arm bands with the buzzard logo on it, much in the same way Nazis had swastikas on their armbands)

CONCLUSION: All nitpicking and bitching aside, this movie still holds some nostalgic value to me and it's not terrible per se towards its intended audience (young kids). That being said, in all honesty, it's pretty generic and not exactly worth a theatrical release. Nostalgia isn't going to affect my overall opinion on it.

Story Grade: D (mostly generic and the whole "take over the world with chocolate" thing makes no sense whatsoever)
Entertainment Grade: C- (The movie is definitely riffable and it does have a few good scenes in it, but overall it seems kinda bland)

OVERALL GRADE (Story/Entertainment average): D+
(For the kids, this movie might be a decent diversion, but for the grown-ups while there are far worse movies out there than this, it's not anything special. If it weren't a theatrical release, maybe I'd ease up a little on the grades, but as a theatrical release, I expect better.)

Next Movie Review: The Neverending Story
Next Week's Review: Thunder Force III

The deadline for video game and movie review suggestions was a week ago and I am just now getting to it. Oh well, anyway it's time to announce the upcoming schedule. Before I get to that though, let's go over the point totals as of right now.

Suggestion Points (see rule changes at the top of the journal for new information)

 thewanderingpikachu (2 points)
 ihatethathedgehog (1 point)
 jewelwriter (2 points)
jade_styx (8 points)
 lonewolfsega (2 points)

Review Schedule (reviews to begin next weekend). Dates are approximate and subject to change

10/22: American Rabbit
10/29: Thunder Force III
11/5: Neverending Story
11/12: Sol-Deace (AKA: Sol-Feace)
11/19: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (the Movie)
11/26: NO REVIEW (In Albuquerque)
12/3: American Gladiators (NES)
12/10: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
12/17: Contra 4
12/24: NO REVIEW (Out of Town for Christmas)
1/1/2012: DOUBLE REVIEW (Howard the Duck AND Wolverine on the NES)
1/8/2012: Total Recall
1/15/2012: VG Review (TBD)
1/22/2012: Spot reserved for a potential movie review (jade_styx contact me ASAP so I may discuss this with you)
1/29/2012: VG Review (TBD)...NOTE: Will only be held if the movie review before this happens.

Over the last few weeks I've been thinking about what I wanted to do with the next episode of Independent Thoughts and I've come to a bit of an impasse about it. There are several ideas that I can think of off the top of my head, but I just can't quite decide on which ones to do. So, I'd like to hear it from you guys, based on the topics listed below, I'd like you to make your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices on which ones you want me to talk about.

> The Irate Gamer
> Gamers as a whole (rough draft is already completed on this one): 1 pt
> Incest (my personal opinion on it)
> The seemingly endless parade of shitty "family" movies: 3 pts (1 first-place vote)
> Disney (1980's-early 90's Disney v. Disney nowadays): 2 pts

This poll will continue until the next journal is added, which will likely be when the current suggestion drives are closed. The two 2 in the voting will be done for sure with the overall winner being done as part of the next episode. By the way, speaking of the current suggestion drive...

There are less than two weeks remaining to suggest video games and movies for future reviews during this cycle...so if you have suggestions, please share them with me.

Approved suggestions so far...

Video Games

None as of yet

Movies

> Short Circuit (jade_styx)
(1 possible additional suggestion pending)

Since I have completed the next round of Movie Reviews, it's time to start a new suggestion drive. Also, since the baseball season is almost over, video game reviews will resume during this next cycle as well. So, here you have a chance to submit your suggestions for future reviews. Before I begin, there will be a few major changes to the rules.

Because of the reduced amount of time I have to work on stories, I have decided to increase the number of points required to earn prizes from this point on (this will not affect those already earned, just future ones). To make up for this though, I have also added to the prizes to make the changes more worthwhile. The changes are as follows...

8 points = TWO free $5 stories
15 points = your choice of one free 3-part miniseries and two free $5 stories OR one free 5-part miniseries
25 points = one free 5-part miniseries plus up to two character background stories (characters must be ones used in the mini-series and be your own creations, characters belonging to others are not allowed for this) NEW!

There will also be another change to the rules in the Movie suggestion category, but I'll get to that when I get there.

Video Game Suggestion Drive

> REMEMBER...Up to 5 suggestions per person per drive (unless I shoot down all of them, then you can suggest up to 5 more)
> Games can either be good or absolutely shitty...HOWEVER, if you do suggest a shitty game, make sure that AVGN didn't already review it...I would prefer not to review any of the games he already did unless I feel it's totally necessary (and these will be decisions I make on my own).
> Arcade Games are allowed...though I haven't played a great deal of arcade games in the past...especially since Marvel v. Capcom 2. Any arcade game made after MvC 2 is automatically ineligible since I have likely not played it.
> Pinball games (whether classic or on a game console) are not allowed. Don't get me wrong, I like pinball, but these are strictly VG reviews and pinball isn't quite what I would consider a "video game".
> Make sure and choose games from consoles that I have played sufficiently, see list below.
> I only review games that I have played enough to form a good opinion about it, so if I haven't played a game (or played it enough), I cannot review it.

Game Consoles that I'm familiar with and/or already own (Go ahead and suggest any game you can think of...though there is no guarantee that I've played it)

> Atari 2600
> NES
> Sega Genesis
> Super Nintendo
> Gamecube
> Nintendo DS
> PC Games (No WoW or related games...sorry, but I don't have time to play intensive games like that, my time is somewhat stretched between projects as it is)

Game Consoles that I've played some and might have ideas about certain games (ask me about a certain game before you suggest it)

> Game Boy
> Game Boy Advance (on my DS)
> Dreamcast
> Playstation 1 and 2 (Very limited...I don't really have a lot of time to play a lot of the games I have for these systems, so it may be hard for me to review these games)
> Wii (Very limited...I don't really have a lot of time to play a lot of the games I have for these systems, so it may be hard for me to review these games)

Game Consoles that I have either never played before or have played very little (please do not suggest any games from this list)

> Intellivision (a little bit before my time)
> Colecovision (same as Intellivision)
> Sega Master System
> Game Gear
> Atari Lynx
> 3DO
> CD-I (This system sucks anyway)
> Playstation 3*
> Sega CD
> Sega 32X
> Atari Jaguar
> TurboGraphix 16
> N64
> XBox & XBox360* (I ain't giving Bill Gates any more of my money for a VG system...with VG consoles I do have a choice and I choose not to buy from Microsoft. Nothing personal to those who have an XBox or XBox360, it's just that it is personal geared towards Microsoft.)
> 3DS* NEW!

*: I do intend on getting a 3DS and a PS3 at some point in the future. I am also starting to consider buying an XBox360 since there are actually games for it that I would be willing to play. Although my opinion about Microsoft is unchanged (I hate their guts), I may be willing to make an exception and buy a 360.

Accepted Ideas (so far)

None as of yet

Movie Suggestion Drive
UPDATED: 9/10/2011

> You may suggest as many movies as you wish until I approve one of your suggestions...but there is a limit of five suggestions per comment and you must wait until I respond before you can suggest any more.
> There is a limit of two APPROVED suggestions per drive per person (I do not have as much time to watch movies as I do to play video games...plus, I don't want to get swamped with requests)
> Movie suggestions can be either on current movies or about movies that are already released on DVD.
> Made for TV movies are allowed, but I will only seriously consider them # I have an interest in seeing the movie and B: I've already seen the movie.
> All movies must be easily accessible to me (in case I haven't already seen it). I do not have the same resources as someone like the Cinema Snob or the Nostalgia Critic does, so I can't do really obscure movies all that much
> There are restrictions to what can and cannot be suggested (there are some movies that I don't want to even touch for one reason or another...see below for more information).

BLACK LIST...Yeah, I know it's red (Don't bother asking me for any of the following)

> Anything with Will Ferrell (I do not like him)
> Anything that has already been reviewed by the Cinema Snob (A: I do not have the same access to the kinds of movies he does and B: I'd much rather watch his reviews than review said movies if I did)...EXCEPTION: If MST3K has done it and/or I can find it on Netflix, I may consider it NEW!
> Anything by Uwe Boll (Damn you Uwe Boll!)
> Any Jackass Movie
> Any of the Twilight Movies (No...just no...DO NOT WANT!)
> Any romantic comedy (I'm a dude...these types of movies do not interest me in the slightest)
> Anything Foreign (exceptions: If it's dubbed in English or has English sub-titles AND I can easily find it, I may consider it)
> The Room (for a reason why this is on the black list...Watch this and you'll know why)
> Anything in 3D (FUCK 3D!*...Exception: if there is a 2D version of it, I may review it) NEW!

GRAY LIST...er, Yellow (You CAN ask for movies in these categories, but don't be surprised if I say no to most of these).

> Anything with Adam Sandler (I'm not exactly fond of him...but my opinion of him is slightly better than that of Will Ferrell).
> Anything that has (or will be) reviewed by the Nostalgia Critic (A: I want to try and avoid movies that he's already done...unless I've seen them too and have a strong enough opinion about it and B: Like the Cinema Snob, it's much more entertaining to watch his movies than to write a review about the same movie...most of the time).
> Anything that has CGI Animals of any kind (*gives the flaming "fuck you" middle finger to a certain movie in this category that will remain nameless*)
> Any sequel to a Disney Animated movie (most of them suck balls and are nothing more than feeble attempts to cash-in on a more known and more beloved feature film)
> Any comedy movie made after the mid-1990's (I'm not very fond of comedies released in the last 15 years or so)
> Any "Family" movie that has people in it who SHOULDN'T be in family movies (I.E.: The Rock, Jackie Chan...WTF has happened to you two?!! You used to be bad asses, now you're just a joke.)
> Any movie based on a video game (most of these suck balls)
> Any movie based on a TV show or Cartoon (unlike the VG-based movies, there do exist decent ones in this category...though most of them are mediocre at best).

NOTE: Even though I have increased the number of approved suggestions to 2 per person, Movie suggestions will remain worth 2 points each (for now at least).

Accepted Ideas (so far)

> Short Circuit (jade_styx)

DEADLINE TO MAKE SUGGESTIONS: 10/8/2011

Suggestion Points (see rule changes at the top of the journal for new information)

 thewanderingpikachu (2 points)
 ihatethathedgehog (1 point)
 jewelwriter (2 points)
jade_styx (6 points)

*: Except for the 3DS...this actually does work (sort of)

Games and movies I've chosen for the next cycle of reviews (not including suggestions made)
This cycle's movie theme is: Childhood Movies (movies I remember from when I was growing up)
Video Game Movie (reviews will go in alternating order...schedule TBD and will be made once the drive is over)

American Rabbit
Thunder Force III
Neverending Story
Sol-Deace (AKA: Sol-Feace)
Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (the Movie)
American Gladiators (NES)
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Contra 4
Howard the Duck
Wolverine (NES)

Batman Begins
Released in: 2005
Produced by: Warner Bros.
Type of Release: Theatrical
Rotten Tomatoes score/my equivalent: 84%/A-

Personal History

I saw this movie over at the Heights theater when it came out in 2005 (by the way, if you're ever in town you might want to give it a visit, they've completely re-vamped it since when I went there as a teenager, it now resembles more of a classic theater...at least inside the main theater anyway). At the time I went to go see it, I had been intrigued by some of the things I had seen and heard about it. Plus, add to the fact that Batman is one of the most bad ass crime fighters in comic book history and that I grew up on the Tim Burton movies (I'm not even going to acknowledge the Joel Schumacher ones, because quite honestly I think they're BOTH dumb). Also, Batman was really the first superhero that I got to know through "The Case of the Laughing Sphinx" (which I don't have anymore, though I do remember bits and pieces from reading the book while listening to the audio tape). So naturally, I wanted to go see this movie and perhaps I will also get to the Tim Burton Batman movies sometime...if I can find them

Basic Storyline

The movie is more or less an origin story that gets the most important details of why Bruce Wayne became Batman accurate, seeing how his parents' deaths brought about his desire to seek revenge at first, but as time passes his will to bring justice to Gotham overtakes the revenge motive. Once Batman makes his appearance, he eventually uncovers a plot to release a hallucinogen upon Gotham using the city's water supply by the very same organization that trained him to be the crime fighter that he was. However, unlike them, Batman believes that the city is not beyond saving and proves this by confronting his former instructor and preventing the city from descending into madness.

What works with this movie

+: The humor (especially between Bruce and Alfred...there were several moments in this movie where I laughed. Although to be fair, a few of the jokes are somewhat predictable)
+: The story (For the most part, it kept me interested...though there was one problem with it which I will address shortly)
+: Morgan Freeman (Much like Samuel L. Jackson, his presence in just about any movie makes it a lot more awesome)
+: The cinematography (Many of the scenes in the beginning of the film are quite interesting and once Batman comes to Gotham it does a good job of invoking a dark and gritty atmosphere to the scenes that need it)
+: Alfred (As I mentioned before, many of his interactions with Bruce are humorous and he does invoke a sense of wisdom as well, sort of like what a father would do for his son)
+: The hallucinations (there were many times in this movie where I really wish that I could do THIS)
+: The ending (While it is an obvious set-up for a sequel, it does an excellent job of doing it, setting us up for the introduction to one of the most famous comic book villains in existence...The Joker)

What didn't work in this movie

-: The first 40 minutes of the movie (Don't get me wrong, the story itself is great, but the part where Bruce was training with the League of Shadows seemed to drag on and on for far too long. The flashback scenes helped to reduce the pain and bolster the story, but I felt that this could've been told a lot quicker)
-: Batman's Growly voice (I already mentioned this when I covered the Dark Knight, but I do not really like the voice Christian Bale uses when he's Batman. Granted, Batman is supposed to have an intimidating voice, but I get the same feeling from it as I got from Christopher Lambert as Raiden in Mortal Kombat...in other words "this ain't right". By the way, I'll likely be getting to that movie at some point too)

Things that have me asking questions in this movie

?: If Batman is supposed to bring justice to Gotham, then why is he deliberately throwing obstacles and potentially lethal devices at police squad cars. (Yeah, I know the reason for the chase, the police think he's a menace and Batman wants to elude capture, but it seems like he doesn't really care for the lives of the officers who are following them. I would like to believe that even if the police were chasing him that Batman would at least feel some sense of remorse for endangering innocent lives)

CONCLUSION: This movie is still as entertaining when I watched it in the theater as it is now (the first 40 minutes notwithstanding). Personally, I think it's a little bit better than The Dark Knight, but that may just be me.

Story Grade: A- (the overall story is strong, though the first third of the film drags on for too long)
Entertainment Grade: A- (Again, the first 40 minutes takes away from its full potential, but there is still a lot of entertainment value to be had in this...especially towards the last third of the movie)

OVERALL GRADE (Story/Entertainment average): A-
(A highly entertaining origin story for one of the most celebrated characters in comic book history. Even if you've never heard of Batman, you'll probably like this movie)

This is the final review of the cycle...next week I will be starting a new suggestion drive for the next cycle (it will also be when the suggestion drive for new video game reviews will resume, seeing how the baseball season is almost over). When the suggestion drive starts, I will also release a list of five movies of my choosing that I intend on reviewing.

Also, on a related note...I have Netflix now, which means I have more access to movies I didn't have before so it might be easier for me to find certain ones and it may also mean I might adjust some of the rules for suggestions at some point. But as of right now, that will remain unchanged.